


The Problems with Originals

by Roseart Hearth (Msmelanie)



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Animaniacs - Freeform, F/M, Grown-up Characters, Psychological issues, Serious Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25578457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Msmelanie/pseuds/Roseart%20Hearth
Summary: The Warners are insane, yet brillaint. There is no way of guessing how will they take a serious situation. Even their P-sychiatrist had doubts. So when Aroma's attraction turns into a bad situation, she'll have to trust the unbalanced Warners to take care of the worst unbalanced warner. Her.All Yakko was trying to get was a bit of revenge. She was the one who took the warners past their limits. It was Scratchy's fault too. His brother and sister did it more! No matter how many excuses he had though? The outcome was the same. Will the warners be able to fix the sanity of the one that they drove crazy before it's too late?
Kudos: 5





	1. How They Got Technicolor

**The Problem With Originals**

**Warning! While it does become a romance, there is a lot of serious issues embedded inside this one. The word abortion will show up (though none takes place), there is prejudice, psychological issues, and moral dilemmas. If at anytime you want to quit reading, please feel free to quit reading.**

* * *

**"It was the cheese! The cheese did it, it was the cheese! Put the cheese in here!"**

**Prologue:**

**Present Day**

Jasper the rat looked up from his book as he noticed his new roomate. "Welcome to RddoubleC."

"RD double C? Rodents Dogs and Crazy Cats?" The mouse looked all around himself. "I don't belong here, I'm not crazy. I'm not, I'm not a crazy mouse. I keep telling everyone the truth." The mouse rubbed his hands together over and over. "It's the cheese. It pestered me and it would never me alone. All the time, telling me it wanted to be green. It wanted to be green. I may have painted all of them I could find green, but I only did it because it wouldn't leave me alone. That lousy Limburger, that swiny swiss cheese and that monster of muenster!"

"Uh huh." Jasper just waved his hand casually. "Whatever kid, everyone in this place is crazy. Here, you'll fit right in." He placed his book down. "The sooner you confess you don't hear the voices in your head, even though you do, the faster you'll be out. Trust me, you don't wanna hang around. There are some real psychos in here. So, what's your name?"

"Lesta," Lesta said as he kept rubbing his hands together. "I've never been here, usually they put me in a general asylum."

"They're getting full," Jasper explained. "Ever since them warners took over, the place is crawling with too many crazies these days." He stood up. "You don't have many neighbors right now and there's not a lot to do except spinning in wheels, drinking from water spouts and telling stories." He pointed directly below their cage. "That's Kat. He's a cat, and he knows he's a cat but he's convinced that the world thinks he's a dog."

"I know you all think I'm crazy, but I'm a cat, I am a cat!" Kat yelled as he shook his cage.

Jasper pointed to his left. "That over there is Gary. He's an agoraphobic Schizophrenic. He's only in his right mind when he's caged up."

"I wonder what's going on in the world today?" Gary turned a page on his newspaper.

"Get me out! I'm not crazy, I do not belong here! Please someone, help me! Help me!"

"Who's that screaming?" Lesta looked toward his bottom right. There was a huge cage, much bigger than theirs.

"Ooh, that there is the legendary Yakko Warner and his girl Aroma," Jasper said.

Lesta gasped and backed up in his cage. "There's an original warner in here?!"

"Like I said, places are packed," Lesta reminded him. "They're so dangerous that they want a small isolated place to watch out for them better. You be careful around them, Lesta. You're about a level one, and you should be a three to even speak to them too long. They can drive you crazy."

"I'm not crazy, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!"

Aroma glared at Yakko Warner with eyes full of hatred. "I wish I never met you!"

Yakko Warner just laid back on his bedding. "Would you just get down and let someone else holler for a little while? Try taking turns, Honey."

"Don't you honey me, don't you honey me!" Aroma jumped down and went to the opposite side. "You say that and bees associate honey with pollen and flowers, and my name is Aroma, and I know you are trying to get them to attack me." She pointed to her head. "I'm not crazy, I know exactly what you are doing." She screamed again and shook the cage. "I'm not crazy!"

"Whoah." Lesta stepped back. "They don't seem like a happy couple. Not even a happy insane couple."

"Well, they ain't." Jasper replied. "Actually, it's pretty sad. That there used to be a sweet girl named Aroma Therapy, fully sane and functional they say. She just got messed up with the wrong guy at the wrong time."

"Yakko Warner." Lesta shivered. "I've heard stories about him and the other originals. Is it true that they're the ones responsible for creating all the warners?"

"Yep." Jasper looked over at Aroma. "You can try to talk to her when she isn't having fits of rage, but she is really out of it more than half the time these days. None of her stories match up. Yakko Warner did some kind of number on her, worst I'd ever seen."

* * *

"Yakko Warner did some kind of number on her, worst I'd ever seen."

Yakko listened to the echoing words of Jasper as he laid quietly on the bedding. A place for mice was not exactly ideal for him, and he could bust out whenever he wanted to, but Aroma was a different issue. He had to stay because she really did need help. Driving others psychotic was what the Warner Brothers were known for, and he did mean to make her a little silly in the head, but he hadn't meant for this to happen.

Aroma couldn't remember details, got scared of things that weren't there, had total fits of rage along with total sessions of nothing but sadness and depression. Even climbing the walls and screaming to the top of her lungs. Aroma had become 100% nuts.

"Where did my glass of water go?" Aroma glared at Yakko. "Did you steal my water? I had a glass of orange juice sitting right there. No, no right there. No, no it was to my right." Aroma pointed to her right. "Now it's not there. So you stole it, didn't you? You stole my orange juice? No, you stole my water. Why did you make me think I had orange juice again? It wouldn't be permitted in this place. Oranges are dangerous." She formed a ball with her hands. "Round and orange, so dangerous. Fall. You could fall and die. More dangerous than a gun. They should outlaw oranges." She smiled at Yakko. "Do you like orange juice?"

And it was all his fault. It wasn't always easy hearing her breakdown mentally because he had liked her at one time. She was fun, and really fun to tease. The teasing had gone too far though and he told Wakko and Dot that he just couldn't leave her like that. He would stay in RcdoubleD until she was within her right mind again. Then that was it, the deal was settled and they'd never see her again.

He had wondered for days on end at first how he even accomplished it. She just snapped like a brittle autumn leaf falling to the ground. Her mind had gone and hadn't come back.

Oh, geez. He just wanted to get her back a little. Just a little revenge. Not this much. She had a strong mind, and she knew their tricks.

If he had known just how fragile her mind had been, there was no way he would have even started playing with her . . .

* * *

**Chapter One: How they got Technicolor.**

**1953: Warner Brothers Studio**

"Feast your eyes on the one, the only, cartoon maker!" A scientist fixed his glasses just right. "No longer do we have to spend countless money on artist's pay to have them create." He pointed to the hole. "It pierces and scans the data of one cartoon. Then it uses the premade gallons of ink inside to make cartoons like the scanned one, with a pinch of dissimilarity to keep them from being clones of each other. For every trait, there could be ten variations of a trait, so for a whole single cartoon, you could make thousands of clones." He wiggled his fingers in excitement. "In essence, it is the latest perfect invention. 50/50 male and female, with males being fixed. No relationships or kids, the cheapest ink around, just money money money. Only what the studio wants, the studio gets." Oh yes, he knew what the studio wanted to hear.

"This will revolutionize the cartoon industry!" The studio chairman held onto his vest proudly. The studio had just bought the invention and was so far pleased with it. "First sound, now color, and now duplicating control. We can pay one animator for the price of a hundred animators."

"The colors are already inserted as well with sound." The first scientist waved his arm proudly. "The greatest invention known, this prototype will do wonders to the cartoon genres. Nothing can-" The scientist gasped. "Oh no, they've escaped!" He pointed to the top of the machine.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot all smiled down at the scientists. Dot held a sign in her hand that read 'Hi there!-' She turned the sign around for the rest. 'Did you miss me?'

Wakko bent down and looked at the machine, clearly curious about it.

"No. No, no, no. Kiddie cartoons come down, please?" The scientist whined but it was too late. Wakko had shoved his finger in the hole.

Wakko pulled out his finger and started to cry, silently, but enough that the ground was getting covered in tears. He held up a sign with his uninjured hand. 'OWIE!'

"Stop the machine," the studio chairman yelled as he pulled his hair out. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

"I can't, it cannot be stopped without destroying it once a cartoon has been scanned." The scientist stared at the numbers on the computer data. "Ten already created. 20 already created. 40 already, 80 already, 160, 240, 480, 960, 1920, 3840! There are too many copies!"

"Smash the machine before they are created!" The studio chairman yelled. Cartoons that looked and acted like the warners were not needed in the studio at all!

"They already are, they're trapped and squished." The scientist pulled some levers on them. "I already stopped it as soon as I could, it just takes a second to actually stop. In a second. Just a second. Got it." The machine stopped. He read the final number. "30,000."

"30,000 cartoons are stuck in there?" The chairman asked as he stared at the machine.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot jumped down, all holding up one sign. 'Tight fit.'

"You! You, you, you escaped from the water tower again?!" The chairman was pissed. "The greatest invention will now massacre my poor city. Thirty thousand new cartoons like Wakko Warner!"

'I have lots of brothers and sisters.' Wakko smiled as he held up his sign.

'Correction.' Yakko flipped his sign over. 'Not your ink, they scanned you.'

'You've got cartoons just like you.' Dot held up her sign. 'Just as cool!'

"Do something, do anything. Thirty thousand cartoons cannot stay in there for long," The chairman yelled.

The scientist punched in some numbers. "Okay." He moved away from his device and waved goodbye to it. "I placed a failsafe in it, just in case. It's off to outer space. Goodbye my precious prototype, the father of future creations."

"The father of nothing. This never existed and will never exist again," the chairman said as the machine took off like a rocket out of the room. "There are no extra variable copies of Wakko Warner. The studio knows nothing."

Yakko, Wakko and Dot all held up a huge sign together. 'Ahem?'

"Loose end. Dammit." The chairman covered his eyes. "What do you want to keep quiet about this, Warners?"

Dot held up her sign. 'I want a colored pink skirt, a yellow flower, and a cute red nose!'

Wakko held up his sign. 'I want to be able to burp and sing!'

Yakko held up two signs. He raised the left one higher. 'I want to be able to talk.' He raised the right one higher. 'So that I can finally express'. He flipped the signs over. He raised the left one higher. 'my true knowledge of the English language.' He raised the right one higher. 'as well as other languages and' He flipped his signs again. He raised the left one higher. 'to share what I know faster instead of constantly.' He raised the right one higher. 'flipping signs.'

The silent black and white cartoons wanted color and sound? Only selected famous cartoons that were black and white were given those abilities now. Then again, the studio could not afford in this day and age for any bad news to come out about them. Creating thirty thousand essentially 'warners' and blasting them off to somewhere in space? No, that did not sound good. "Fine," the chairman agreed. "Afterwards, you are going back to the tower. Don't say or flip a sign at anyone telling them what happened or you'll regret it."

The guys just held up one big sign. 'The Warner Brothers in Technicolor!'

'and the Warner Sister' Dot had written on her own sign.


	2. I Can't Believe It Wasn't Butter

**Modern Era**

"Checking out the new machine couldn't hurt?" Dot groaned at her eldest brother as they stood in a long line in the grocery store. A really long line.

"Are you still going on about that?" Yakko rolled his eyes. "At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do."

"Don't forget." Wakko reminded each of them. "If it weren't for that, we'd be completely out of the scene."

"Yeah, I know. Hooray, great for back then but what about now?" Dot whined.

"You cut."

"No, you cut!"

"No, you!"

The Warner Brothers and their sister just groaned as they stared at all the commotion.

Wakko looked longingly at the shorter line beside them. "I wish we could go in that line."

"Don't we all. This sucks, this year couldn't be worse." Dot crossed her arms angrily. "Thirty thousand warners in one city." There were more cartoons that looked like them in the city of Burbank than there were cartoons that didn't. For many years, no one knew about the cartoons until somebody looked through the hubble telescope and found them. First thought of as aliens, everyone was excited. Contact was made, and the nasty truth had come out.

The Studio's secret had been exposed, and they were charged with bringing the thirty thousand back. The Studio admitted what happened and had agreed to take care of each one they brought back to avoid way more terrible legalitites. So, here they all were.

All 30,000 ended up fighting in lines in the Burbank supermarket.

Even the City knew the new problem with having all the extra cartoons and had divided lines up all over Burbank. One for other cartoons and one for Warners. That's right. Even the Warner Brothers and their Sister Dot could not keep the appeal of their own name. The studio had chosen warner to be the last name of anything that looked similar to the Warner Trio. Although it was still dumb because they couldn't be declared an official race, so they still had a first and last name too.

Yakko placed their groceries on the counter. Now he had to be called Yakko Warner the Warner. Fan-freaking tastic. "Here you go."

The register rang up the price. "$20.95."

"That's expensive." Dot handed the money over. "You know a couple years ago we wouldn't get charged extra. I miss those days." Maybe it would have been funner if all the warners had been just as awesome as them. They were all varying degrees, most being too dumb to communicate with and were put in asylums. Others were just mediocre and down to Earth. Other than overpopulation, most warners caused little problems because of their inferiority. There were precious few that had enough smarts to even work for themselves.

"Hey look over there, it's Preston. Preston!" Yakko put the groceries down and placed his hands around his mouth. "PRESTON!"

"I can hear you!" A warner named Preston complained as he covered his ears. He was right next to Yakko.

Yakko grinned. At least the Warner fiasco got him a new special friend. Preston Carrington. The most stuck-up warner he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. Yes, what a special friend he had been. He didn't play, he wasn't insane, he wasn't dumb and he was a workaholic that worked under Plotz. Strangest warner he'd ever met. "Hey Preston, didn't know if you'd hear me. How's it going, you still working in the bathroom?"

"I do not work in a bathroom." Preston fixed his tie and smoothed out his suit. Precise, responsible, and he even wore oversized shoes to fit the business image look. "I work underneath Plotz."

"Yeah exactly, you still have your head shoved way up there." Yakko smiled as he touched his nose. "Should be careful, your nose is getting browner by the day."

"Hmph." Preston just hung onto his suit with pride as he held his tail straight up. "Still as ungentlemanly as ever."

"I know you are but what am I?"

"Good day." Preston said roughly as he walked off.

"Gosh, he's fun." Yakko chuckled. He looked over at Dot. "Ready Sib?"

"Not yet," Dot whined and looked at the groceries. "We forgot the ice cream."

Yakko, Wakko and Dot all groaned. Getting ice cream was fast, but the line for warners they had to go through would take an hour alone again.

"Paper, Rock, Scissors?" Wakko suggested as he put his hand in front of him. There was no reason all three should have to suffer.

Yakko and Dot both nodded their heads and put their hands in.

"One, two, three."

"Rock breaks scissors," Wakko exclaimed as he ran back to the tower, happy he didn't have to stay.

"1,2,3, I win." Dot hit Yakko's rock. "Paper covers rock, gotta go." She waved goodbye. "Get something with cherry in it. Bye Big Brother."

Yakko watched as Dot took off. He groaned and looked back at the long line. Crap. This wouldn't be any fun.

"Will you leave my hat alone?"

"The fruit's so becoming of you."

Aroma Therapy watched Yakko Warner with interest as he added a pair of grapes to a woman's hat. _For the good of science, I must stop being a coward and do this. I have waited more than a year, it is time I take action. I have run out of time, if I do not do this now, I will never get it done before I must commit to Carrington._

"That's even better, matches the oranges and lemons," Yakko commented. "Ooh, some limes would complete it."

The woman reached in her cart and pulled out a carton of cherry ice cream. "Take the last one, I don't care anymore. Just leave me alone."

Yakko didn't pay any attention as the woman ran away. He held his trophy proudly. The last box of cherry ice cream. He had been about to walk off and wait in the long line when he heard something unusual.

"You certainly have a way with others."

Someone had been talking to him? He looked around but didn't see anyone in his direction. He turned around and saw another warner. Red dress with a rose behind her ear. She walked over to him with a strange look in her eyes.

"Are you a funny guy?" She asked. "Do you know any jokes?"

Yakko laughed. Jokes? He knew a ton of jokes. "For which occasion, who, what, where and when? Why helps too. I can make a joke out of anything." He looked at her dress, which was long and red. "Add a pitchfork and I bet you could do some damage."

"You've no idea."

Huh? That was an odd response. Why had she even started to talk to him in the first place? Was she one of the rare mediocre warners? Yakko looked down at his ice cream. "Don't even think about it, I had to work for this." He held it up over his head.

The female warner laughed. "You think I'm flirting with you to get . . . *giggle* to your ice cream?"

"It's the last one," Yakko announced. As nice as it would be to Hello Nurse her, he had a priority to get that ice cream home before Dot blew a fuse. "Don't try anything."

Yakko watched her oddly as she moved closer and gave him a small kiss on the neck. _What the hell?_ "Who are-?" Yakko stopped his talking as he felt her lips hit his. A little chirp of a kiss. Yakko just stared at her in shock. He didn't even know her and she kissed him? A practice he was used to giving, but never receiving. Why had she done that in the first place? Not that he complained, she was definitely cute but-

"My name is Scented. This place is pretty packed, you want to go run around and have some fun?"

Yakko's jaw dropped as she moved her leg across his. "You're not trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson, are you?"

She either didn't catch the reference or didn't care. "Let's get out of here already." She giggled as she grabbed Yakko by his belt. "Unless you're scared to have fun with a warner you don't know?"

Yakko threw the ice cream in the air and took her by the hand. _Screw the ice cream!_

* * *

**Aroma Therapy's Home**

Aroma . . . rearranged her clothing, fixing herself back up. _This was the worst thing I could have done, what was I thinking? Worst idea ever._ Okay, she met the original like she wanted, but she didn't think she'd end up going that far. "I can't believe we did that."

"I can't believe it's not butter."

"It's far from butter." She started to crawl from the bed. A nice make-out session, that would have been fun. This warner guy though, he had made her feel so alive, so different from every other warner she had met so . . . "Yakko, where's the rose that was on my ear?"

"Somewhere. Things were flying everywhere. Pandemonium." Oh, he was in a great mood. "Rose, oh rose, where did you fly?" I have no idea, but it wasn't what caught my eye." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Stop being funny for a little while." Aroma looked all around. Headwear was popular for warners and that little rose set her back some money. She didn't want to lose it. She'd be stuck with a cap or a hat, and that wasn't her style.

As she looked around, she was still catching his looks. "That usually doesn't happen. I just have a certain . . ."

"Weakness for funny guys," Yakko finished for her as he stretched. He leaned his body against the dresser and casually kicked back his right heel. "Yeah, I figured it out once you -"

"This conversation is over," Aroma warned him. "Look. I was just looking for fun, I wasn't looking for commitment."

"Well that's perfect," Yakko insisted as he stood up more. "I like fun too and no commitment. I could deal with this."

"No." Oh, dealing with the originals. _What was I thinking? It was study, Aroma, you never should have gone that far._ "I mean this was one time. I'm actually someone's fiancé." she informed him.

When she turned around toward the dresser, she watched Yakko jump from over the dresser over to her. "I don't know if I like that. Are you trying to dump me?"

Damn. "Sorry. You didn't seem like the type who cared about relationships." Aroma went closer to the door.

"Well, I don't but-" Yakko just humphed.

Aroma knew she had already been in trouble. She was studying his movements, already caught once by surprise. What would he say? What would he pull? He hadn't made a beeline for her again. He wasn't relaxing near the dresser or the unkempt bed. Standing up. Examining her.

"No way," Yakko said, "you owe me a date, Scented."

_A date?_ Well, she had become important enough to hold his attention. That wasn't quite what she wanted. She had let her feelings get in the way of her own plans. "I'm getting married."

"I don't care, you at least owe me a date. You can't just dump me without a word and then not give me a date," Yakko insisted. "Burger King?"

Aroma opened the door for him. "Please leave, I already told you this was a mistake." Insistence to not give into demands. According to her research, he would leave her like she had defeated him, but he'd be back to annoy and make more demands for his request. She had certainly made an impression. It was less that he wanted to hurt her fiancé, or that he wanted a real relationship, but he was feeling denied.

She would have to move fast.

Yakko wouldn't let her just dump him without a second thought. He had pride after all. She'd win the little battle, but he'd win the war, like he always did. "Fine. I'll leave for now." He grinned at her as he pushed his nose to hers. "What a shame. You were way too much fun." He chuckled as he headed out her door.

Scented watched as he left. Once out of view? She climbed out the fire escape and quickly leaped from building to building. Once Yakko thought of some kind of revenge that would drive her crazy and give in, he would be back. Usually within five seconds to an hour. The apartment she had used as a ruse so she could quickly escape.

If Yakko Warner was any indication, the warners were in fact the strangest lunatics she knew. They knew they were lunatics, yet they were brilliant with their knowledge of foreign culture and languages. Each even knew how to play more than one instrument. Brilliantly psychotic?

Yes, this would be interesting. "Note to self." Aroma stopped to speak into her recorder she pulled out of her dress. "Thank the scientist who created our machine for adding such dissimilarity between us and the original scanned Wakko Warner. Also, be thankful we have different ink. I don't think I could survive as relation and neither could this city." She hit stop on her recorder, thought for a moment, then hit record. "Never mind the thanking part he did blast us off into outer space. Jerk."

She looked around and made sure she was far from the apartment. He wouldn't suspect she would take off that easy. _I shouldn't feel bad._ Aroma continued to walk. _He got a free night, and he was one of the one's responsible anyhow. He could have told someone what they did._ No, all the warners figured it out the hard way. They had gone for who knows how long just sailing through space all squeezed up. It was horrible, being so meshed up but they had never known what personal space was like. It wasn't until they landed on a comet did they break out and finally feel freedom.

Aroma's home had been wonderful. Although a great number of warners, at least 25% felt like playing with no responsibilites, the other 75% were brilliant and had together created a wonderful functioning society. She had been at the top of her class and had loved her planet. They had decided to playfully call it Chez Casa (The home of a home) and things were perfect. The warners whose ambition was to continually play or had been a bit on the psychotic side were on one side of the planet that was called Playground Paradise. On the other side were the working and normal warners, continuing to progress their communities. It was not until they met the right aliens that they discovered they were nothing but created cartoon copies.

Okay, so she was a cartoon from a comet. It hadn't changed life until the studio went and scooped up 30,000 of them. Most of them were normal and playful, with the more brighter ones wishing to decline such an 'offer' to be taken to another planet. Unfortunately, she had been scooped up because she had currently been doing research in the Playground Paradise.

Before she knew it, she had been placed within the confines of Earth and was denied the ability to go back. The studio said 'sorry' and promised to take care of her, but no warners would be returned. They needed all (what they thought to be all) 30,000 and the trip there and back had blown their big budget for at least a year.

A brilliant psychologist now reduced to nothing but another of thousands of what were called 'copies'. Copies to the originals. Her career was almost over until she got her foot into the door to study the Warner Brothers and Sister's own creator. Still, she missed her real world.

Then rumors started to spread that 30,000 was too much for one studio to handle. They wanted to lower the number and send some back in just a few years. She had to be one of the one's back on that ship. Hopefully with a solid marriage to a solidly intelligent warner, a decent amount of research material, and a bettering career, she could be.

All was going great, except for how far she'd really gone. Yakko's wistful and addictive personality had mesmerized her. He was brilliant in his own right and she wanted to hear everything he had to say. Her real weakness had been his jokes though.

Oh, his jokes! Warners who joked around were just too insane or mentally unstimulated enough for her on her planet. Their jokes either didn't make sense or had nothing going for them. Too simple. Yakko was sharp with wit in his jokes, something she'd never experienced before.

The rest who were closer to her in ways of smarts were too stuck up and snobbish to partake in tomfoolery. Yakko Warner was the perfect blend. It only made sense, they were scanned from his brother and no warner would ever be exactly like the original.

_Just forget it, it doesn't matter,_ Aroma insisted to herself. It would not block her or blind her to what was important.

* * *

**Plotz' Office**

"Will this take all day, Sir?" Preston B. Carrington asked. He looked at his watch. Busy was his middle name and he still had things to do. He loosened his blue tie while he pulled his vest straight. "Mr. Plotz, should I schedule off more time to make certain the papers are collated as well?"

"No, no." Plotz insisted. He looked at his own watch like he was anxious about something.

"Hello?" A female warner stood in the doorway entrance. She held a briefcase in her left hand and wore thick glasses. She pushed them up as she approached the chair in front of Mr. Plotz that had been empty. "Sir."

"Aroma Therapy, meet Preston Busy Carrington." Plotz stood up as he introduced the two warners. "You two can benefit from each other so I suggested you two meet."

Aroma nodded her head at Preston. "Hello."

"Greetings." Preston looked over at Plotz. Why was he meeting her?

Plotz reached in his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. "Preston, I'd like you to apply for this."

Preston reached over and took the papers. His eyes flew open as he stared at the application. "Star Facts?" Star Facts was one of the most prestigious companies he had ever wanted to work for. It would be more in tune with the work he used to perform on Chez Casa. "I have tried this before, but perhaps with your recommendation they will consider me for a lower level, and then I can reach the top ones."

"How about just the top?" Plotz said. "I know, I know. Requirement is responsibility in any job for a warner. They want to know you are committed. An extra requirement that is not the easiest for a warner to get passed."

At all. Preston had been trying for some time. He had never been late for work, always provided his best work, got along with any of his coworkers, did any menial tasks asked of him on top of important tasks. He did everything, and they still would not trust him.

"You can show you are serious," Plotz said, "by committing yourself to someone else. Marriage is one of the hardest foundations that will ensure that you are responsible. I have already asked. It's about the only thing that works."

"Yes, but I'm not getting married," Preston informed him. "I do not even date, I feel that it belittles myself spending time and money on someone else for only a small percentage rate of success for more advancement."

Mr. Plotz gestured toward Aroma Therapy. "Problem solved."

"I do not believe in the 'dating field' either. We'd both benefit from this," Aroma Therapy said. "I have also been looking for work that will not hire or associate with warners unless some steep responsibility is shown."

"If you two make a contract together, you can set your own terms and conditions." Plotz said, "and I suggest you do it, Preston. I have another person I want to promote for your job. I'd like to hire you further up the chain, but you know it's against the law. However, you have been a dutiful employee, always going above and beyond. It's just that, well, you're a warner. You'll never go anywhere. I suggest this because your replacement will be taking your spot within a few months."

Fire. "You're firing me?" Preston couldn't believe it. He had been dutiful ever since he'd attained the job. "Just because I'm a warner? I am not the same as others, Sir."

"Yes, I know, but a warner in your position . . . " Plotz drummed his fingers. "There's just too much talk even now about this position. I can't let the studio's name get dragged down because of rumor or speculation. Now I suggest the marriage idea, there's nothing else left. You both want the same thing, so just think about it." Plotz answered the phone and shoo'd the two of them out.

"Not exactly a warm person," Aroma said as she left Plotz' office. She looked over at Preston. "Well Mr. Carrington?"

"I don't know." Preston crossed his arms. "JP, it had to be JP. He was always trying to get this job."

"We cannot climb any higher here," she said, a tone of sadness inside of it. "Please Mr. Carrington."

"Marriage shows responsibility, but it does not sound enjoyable," Carrington huffed.

Aroma removed her glasses. She went over to Preston, gave him a deep kiss, and casually put her glasses back on.

"...well." Preston looked at Aroma up and down this time. "What was it you did on Chez Casa?"

Aroma couldn't help but smile. No one had ever bothered to even ask her about that. "I was a top-level psychologist and researcher, with a very secure job. I only got nabbed because I was doing research in the Playground Paradise."

"I could tell you were not the usual blatant ones captured and brought here," Preston said. "I myself held a very qualified job. I was not a common yes man, and I was in charge of my own business. Real estate." He smiled. "I had it all." He groaned. "Until they brought me down here. I was making a deal with a normal considering a piece of property. He lived near the edge of Playground Paradise."

"I will go back, as soon as they let me," Aroma made it clear. "I hear within the year they should be sending more warners back because Burbank cannot hold them."

"I've heard the rumor. I also hope that I can get home." Preston confessed. "I've decided." What did he have to lose? His job had already been given away and he needed to find employment. "Before I leave for a new job, we'll get married in Las Vegas. Nothing big and nothing fancy. We will create a contract tonight that we will sign. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Aroma replied.

"As of now, we are going to respect each other as if we are a responsible couple. A boyfriend and a girlfriend. I will schedule a few simple dates before we are married. On the fourth month, you may move in. That seems a little rushed but more adequate considering the speed of this relationship, which could have a bearing. I also want to add some other things not within the usual contracts," Preston said. "Do you still agree?"

Aroma shook her head once again. "Agreed."


	3. Yep, He Still Got That Date

**Four and a half months later**

"Yakko, it's Preston!"

Yakko took the lollipop out of his mouth as he headed to the door at Dot's call outside. Alright, some fun. He jumped down the water tower and looked over at Preston. "Hey Pressy Ton, what's up? Saw you from the tower, weren't you planning on stopping by?"

"No," Preston insisted. "I am simply going to work. Again. Like I do everyday." He gritted his teeth. "Must you always bother me?"

"Aw, don't worry!" Yakko smiled and hit him on the back playfully. "It's never a bother for me to come down and see you."

"It is for me, but I'll wave to you from up here!" Wakko declared with a wave.

Achoo!

"What was that?" Yakko noticed an extra pair of legs behind Preston. "Press, you brought a guest?"

"Leave her be, Yakko Warner," Preston warned him. "My fiancée simply came to bring me a forgotten lunch. Not. Get. Groped. By. You."

"Oh." Yakko leaned forward toward him, his hands in one another. "I'm so hurt. You think I'd attack an innocent girl?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, but that was your girl?"

"Yes."

His act over, Yakko smiled. "You know me well. Is she a nurse?"

"Leave Aroma alone," Preston warned him. "She is a decent girl, not used to the likes of you. I swear, you try and lay one hand-"

"Okay, okay, off limits, I got it." Yakko held his hands up. "So, how deep do you have to go today? I noticed your nose isn't as brown."

"Don't you have a life?"

"Not really."

"Why must you do this everyday?"

"'Cause it's fun."

"You're an imbecile."

"Ooh, big word. Good for you." Yakko peeked behind Preston's back and noticed a familiar color of red. A familiar red dress. "What?" Yakko tried to look further as the warner tried to hide more. Unfortunately, he knew that color. It had stuck in his mind. The trim line of it, the creases in it, everything. "Scented?" _The whaaaa-?_ "Cute girlfriend, Preston." He stood up. "See ya later."

Aroma watched as Preston walked off. "Preston?"

"I'll call you when I get home." Preston announced without even turning back to see her. He would be late if he dilly-dallied anymore.

Aroma looked over at the strange unchanging grin on Yakko. It wasn't a funny grin. Lopsided and strange, with eyes that didn't spell humor as well. "You didn't tell him?" _Of course not, according to my research, it would be too easy._

Yakko gave a small complimentary chuckle. "No, that's too easy."

"Well, thank y-what?" Aroma faked surprise. "Too easy?" _There's a strong chance that he is not going to be happy with a warner such as Preston ending up with me after one night of fun and being thrown out and unable to find me._ She had been planning on staying out of his way, but Preston had forgotten his lunch and insisted she bring the thing.

It was a part of the responsibility. She had no choice.

"So, the boring guy you wanted was good old Preston, huh?" Yakko laughed strangely. "Fine choice for a fiancé. Brown noser to the end. May your kids have noses of Burnt Sienna. Oops. I forgot you can't have kids. Too bad."

_Ouch. A little colder than what I was expecting._ "I like Preston too, it's not just the step up," Aroma lied to him. "My nickname was Scented, so I didn't lie about my name. I'm not that bad of a girl." _He'll say a mean comment._

"Could have fooled me."

"Yakko, please?" Aroma groaned. "It was a mistake. What do you want from me?" _Another mean comment, and there is the chance he'll try to grope me somehow._

"Nothing little mule." Yakko chuckled oddly. "Nothing I can't get myself."

Aroma didn't understand what he meant. _Nothing he couldn't get himself? There's another twist._ "Are you going to tell Preston?"

"Nope."

"You're not lying?" _He'll annoy me in someway soon._

"Nope."

"You're not a habitual liar, are you?"

"Nope."

Aroma just covered her face with her hands. _Yep, total annoyance mode. He also appears to be jealous or perhaps just angry. My best bet is to saying something reassuring, but even at this rate, I don't know if it will help._ "I'm sorry. If I had met you for more than a last minute fling before I committed to marriage, I would have given another date. I better get going." Aroma took off in a hurry. A second encounter she had figured she would receive. Yes, picking Preston, someone who ran into the originals often may not have been the perfect idea, but there were few warners that would work. Besides, it was the past and Preston would not care at all about what she did. Hopefully.

"Yakko?"

Yakko had watched Aroma walk away but smiled back at his little sister Dot when she approached. He wiped his face clean of all feelings except blissful delight. "Hi Sib!"

Dot didn't look the same way at him. She pulled back a little. She had probably watched from above in the tower with Wakko. "Are you okay? Who was that girl?"

"Nobody."

"Oh. Okay, why are you so mad at her?"

"Mad?" Yakko tried to laugh it off "I'm not mad, I'm smiling and happy, same as always."

"No, you're not." Dot tilted her head slightly. "I know you, you're _pissed_."

Yakko dropped the act. "She dumped me for Preston."

"Huh?" Dot seemed confused.

"She's the girl you and Wakko believed to be a myth. The one I got once, but she's going to marry Preston."

Dot wiggled uncomfortably on her foot. "First of all, ew. Second of all, You really did have a girlfriend?"

"For a brief day." Yakko admitted bitterly.

Dot chuckled. "That's the girl? I remember _now_ , but I thought you were just lying to Wakko to gloat." She crossed her arms. "So you weren't hopeless after all." She looked outward from the direction Aroma had walked away. "What do you care so much for? You had fun, you're lucky you even had her for a day, right? Why didn't you just fess up?"

"You'd think so." Yakko couldn't contain it much longer. "She knew what she was doing, she should have at least given me a date! Or a heads up or something."

"She's the one?!" Wakko interrupted their conversation as he jumped down to them. "You tell her a joke and she gets hot, right? You got her address?"

"Don't even kid right now! Besides, it isn't over." Yakko pressed his hands together. _She's gonna regret leaving me high and dry for Preston._ He rubbed his hands together fiercely.

"You never went on one date." Dot didn't see the logic behind her brother's anger. "Do you love her?"

Yakko looked at her as if she had grown a third head. "Heck no, but she can't just dump me before a date!" He stood up straight and pounded one glove into each other. It's unethical. It's Unamerican. Besides, Preston? Preston?" He scoffed. "That brown noser gets to enjoy her now."

Dot covered her face in shame. "You're a pervert to the end, big brother."

"Thanks very much."

Dot groaned. "Even if he dumped her, you wouldn't get her anymore."

"You don't know her. Now if you don't mind." Yakko lifted his left leg and started to spin it. "I've got to get going. People to know, stuff to gather, nightmares to create, you know, the usual."

**Las Vegas**

Aroma checked her wedding dress one more time. This Earth ceremony of marriage was different than what her and Preston were used to. Preston hadn't even shelled out much for the marriage, which suited her just fine. A quick trip to Vegas and a quick trip back. The ceremony was unimportant, just the status afterward held any meaning for the two.

The time period was in between rush and responsible for lovers. It seemed to appease them both.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today." The minister didn't really care to look up as he read his scripture.

_So strange that Yakko never showed up again._ She had been almost certain he would show up before she got married for his simple date. The originals always pursued their goals, even if it was just a small detail. _New twist on my research. Something much more important must have come up to let me slip through the cracks. I'll have to add this in, it could be helpful to further researchers._ It would still drive him nuts when she returned already married. What could he do now that she would be married and gone? It would be an even more interesting piece to write to say the least.

"The rings please?" The minister sighed as he turned the page.

Aroma saw Preston's hand appear in front of her. She held out her hand and accepted the ring and gave his hand her ring.

"You may kiss the bride." The minister finished toward the end.

Aroma felt Preston grab her hand and swoop in for a kiss. Wow, he hadn't seemed to be a passionate warner.

"So babe, hit the room or hit the tables?"

Aroma opened her eyes and gasped, seeing who just kissed her. "Yakko Warner?!"

"Preston sends his condolences." Yakko shrugged his shoulders. "He was too busy to make his own wedding, but don't worry, I didn't disappoint you."

Aroma's mouth dropped. Okay, that was a twist! Yakko Warner had physically gone through the Earth Marriage with her? _No, no, this screwed things up entirely!_ "No. Way."

"Yes way." Yakko winked. "Never lifted your eyes a second, boy are you two really in love. I was sure you would spot when I said 'I do'." He just laughed. "So, about that date?"

"You married me for the date?" Aroma looked desperately around and dropped her bouquet unceremoniously on the ground. The obsessive compulsion within the originals was so bad, that he married her just to get a date _? Interesting, but not great. This screwed up the whole plan!_

"Hey, you were supposed to throw the bouquet new Sis!"

Aroma looked behind her and saw the two other originals all dressed up watching from the pews.

"I wanted to catch it." Dot stomped her foot. "I don't go to many weddings, and I doubt it'll ever happen to Yakko again."

"No, no, no." Aroma quickly stepped in front of the minister. "I want an annulment, now." Yakko Warner for research and interest was fine. Marriage? Out of the question!

The minister just shook his head. "No. I don't deal specifically with warners."

"This can't be happening." Aroma grabbed her head and looked at Yakko. "Why would you go this far?"

Yakko just laughed and so did Dot.

"That's funny." Wakko chuckled as he stepped over to his new sister. "We never do anything the easy way. Besides, we didn't think you'd really get married!"

"Yeah, that is a shocker. I figured I might stand here for a few seconds, and then you'd yell in a shrill voice and I'd get a kiss before stealing you away for a date." Yakko just stared at her. "You _never_ looked up once. You didn't love Pressy at all, did you?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no . . ." Aroma backed away further. "I did not get married to you." Being married to a crazy maniac would ruin every chance to get back to Chez Casa. She tried to run away but Wakko and Dot stopped her.

"Ah, ah, ah." Dot shook her finger. "Try for an annulment and I'll give Preston a call so fast it'll make your head spin."

Aroma looked behind her at Yakko. Would he break the deal because she had gotten with Yakko a little too far? _Maybe, maybe not._ She took a deep breath. _I have to get a hold of the situation. The originals love over reaction, it is increasing their need to mess with me. Calm down and relax, you know better._

"Honeymoon?" Yakko grinned. "I'll get a suite for us, dear."

"You can't keep me here. This is not a real marriage, and I'll get it overturned." Aroma insisted.

"Hey! That's no way to talk to my brother," Dot remarked. "Yakko will free you soon, he's not the marriage type."

"Hellloooo Nurse! Check out the dress on that Bridesmaid!"

"See what I mean?" Dot smiled. "He's just got some plans first for you, that's all."

"Yeah, I want my date," Yakko insisted. "Follow me and I'll have you and Pressy back at the alter in no time. Don't follow me and I guess I finally have that talk with Dear ol Pressypoo."

"I recommend following him." Dot waved at Yakko. "See you!"

Yakko waved at his brother and sister. "Bye!"

Aroma watched as Dot and Wakko left the chapel without another word.

"So Mrs. Yakko Warner the Warner. Now that you don't have to worry about that impending marriage, how about that date?"


	4. The Warner Plot

_I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm married to an original._ Aroma closed her eyes. Her entire future was at stake now. _Stay composed. If I stay calm, maybe I can find a way out?_

"You gonna eat that?" Yakko stole her french fry. As he wanted, he finally got his date. Mcdonald's had a playful atmosphere and no one really cared to look at each other. People came in, ordered their stuff and they we're gone. Great time to get to know his new wife. "So Mrs. Warner? You got any brothers or sisters?"

"No." Aroma answered. _Crude._ "You know that better than anyone. Are we done yet?"

"Wifey, we haven't even started." Yakko dipped her fry in some catsup. "So tell me, why so in a hurry to marry dear old Preston?"

"I want out of Burbank, or at the very least, a nice job somewhere," Aroma half lied. "I hate my life and I want out. He wanted to be higher as well, so marriage was convenient for us."

"Convenient, yes, smart, no." Yakko stole another fry from her.

Aroma crossed her arms. "Did you marry me just for a date at Mcdonalds?"

"No, and don't complain. If you had agreed to a date the first time around, I would have taken you somewhere classier, like a Taco Bell," Yakko informed her. "By the way since we're married, this date is 50/50 payout."

Aroma opened up her purse and threw two dollars on the table. She tried not to notice the looks she continued to receive. It was most appropriate, after all she was still in her wedding dress. Eating. In a McDonalds.

"Thanks, that was good," Yakko winked. "I'll see you back in Burbank."

"Wait!" Aroma stopped him right before he took off. "What about the annulment?"

"Oh. Well, it'll take a little while." Yakko chuckled. "Don't make more marriage plans anytime soon, at _least_ a couple months. See ya."

Aroma watched as he took off. She just sighed in frustration. How could this happen to her?

* * *

Aroma went back to her hotel room and saw Preston. The warner was one of the most snobbish she had got to know on Earth. If his whole 'schedule' fell off because they had to wait for an annulment, he would probably cancel the whole thing. "Thanks for the marriage."

Preston lifted his eyes from his newspaper. "I left a note on the door. Something came up and I had an important call. When I got there, you weren't there anymore." He turned the page. "I have no time to deal with a ceremony right now, I just got a call. I have to get back to Burbank tomorrow morning. We must put our plans on hold."

"That's fine." Aroma cleared her throat. "Anything you need, Dear."

**Aroma's _Real_ Apartment**

Aroma stared at Yakko, sitting at her table in her apartment. She had just got back from Las Vegas, but somehow the Warner Brother had found out where she truly lived. If she had lived with Preston, it would have been safe, but as he talked it out with her, he decided to change that plan. It would look better to move in after marriage.

She shouldn't have been surprised, Yakko had a reputation for being cunning. "What are you doing here?"

"Honey, hi." Yakko kicked back in the chair. "Welcome home."

"This is not your home." Aroma set her purse down. Now was not the time to deal with psycho's, she felt horrible. "Leave."

"That's no way to talk to your hubby." Yakko grabbed her hand. "Come on, we've got stuff to do."

"Like what?" Aroma frowned. She released his hand and went to the bathroom. Studying him, she knew if she upped the illusion of being driven crazy, he would leave her alone faster. Maybe.

* * *

Yakko watched her run to her bathroom and lock the door. Okay. Lock herself in a bathroom already? He'd barely begun to play. After a few minutes he knocked on her bathroom door. "Ready to get an annulment?" he teased. "If you don't answer back, I'll have to assume you want to stay married." He teased.

There was no answer back.

"Aroma?" Yakko knocked on the door again. "I get it, enough is enough. We'll get this figured out and you and Press can get married." He knocked again. "Hey."

Aroma opened the door angrily and glared at him. "I hate you!" She slammed it again. "There won't be any annulment yet!"

Okay first part, made sense. It was the second part that troubled him. "What?" Yakko chuckled. Oh, she was trying to one up him? _Oh boy, beginners never learn._ "Fine by me. Am I moving into your dinky apartment or are you moving into the tower?"

"Around the other originals? No way."

"You want me to leave you alone?"

"Yes."

"You don't want an annulment?"

"No, just leave me alone."

Yakko shrugged his shoulders. "Hey Aroma, are you clinically insane too?"

"Yes. No, I mean no."

"Okay, then can you explain what the heck you're trying to pull?" Yakko leaned against the door. "Contrary to belief, I'm not rich. If I was, I wouldn't have even played with this marriage idea." He knocked on her door. "Nothing to swipe from me, so either get used to me being around or annul."

"No!"

Yakko was totally confused. _Damn, I just wanted a date. What the hell is this?_ Seriously, he couldn't believe she never looked up the whole ceremony. "Why do you want to stay married to me? Preston's gonna marry you." He rolled his eyes and placed his hand on the door. "Alright, alright, I admit. I don't like getting dumped, but I got my date. You got screwed over at your marriage, so we're even. I'll let you move on with your life. Warner guarantee."

Aroma opened the door. She glared at him angrily. _No chances, could just be teasing. I have to make completely sure I'm no more fun._

Yakko grinned. "Better?" He was shocked as he felt himself get slapped. He watched as the door shut again. _Okay, that's it._ "Fine, honey, you don't want to end this marriage, we won't! Let me just call up your closest friends and Preston to tell them what _you've_ been doing with a clinically insane cartoon!"

"Go away!"

"For now. Get back to me when you get over your psychotic episode."

Aroma opened the door as Yakko finally left. Mission Accomplished. She would drop by the tower with a much better exiting strategy. _At least there's even more to add to my study._ She went over to her purse, opened it and pulled out her notepad. As well as her research was going, she was making some interesting breakthroughs. _Ooh, but wait._ A flaw. If a psychotic commented that she was psychotic that could backfire. 'Yes, this approach might not work.' Then again, a better lie might be needed.

* * *

**Warner Brothers Tower**

KNOCK KNOCK

Yakko answered the tower door, knowing she should show up soon. "Well, hi. Come back to your senses?"

Aroma stood at the doorway and stared at the ground. She nodded her head. "I need an annulment now, Yakko. I mean right now, please?"

"Right right now?" Yakko chuckled. "Might take a little while to get it done."

"Yakko, no more playing, please?" Aroma's eyes shined a little brighter. It was clear she was trying to keep tears from falling. "I'm pregnant with Preston's baby. If he finds out about this..."

* * *

"Uh oh." Yakko looked at her oddly. "Are you sure you aren't trying to one up me? I thought you were all-"

"Perfect cartoons who could not breed. No, only males were fixed." Aroma sighed. "Preston must have snuck through the cracks. It happens."

"Yikes." Yakko took a deep breath. "Here you are married to me. Whoops."

"Please?" Aroma begged again.

Yakko smiled. "No sweat, it was really just a game. We hired someone to play a minister. So Preston's going to be a dad, huh?" He chuckled. "You stay away from funny guys and no more one-night stands with estranged lunatics, got it?" He laughed.

"Yakko?" Aroma gulped. "About-"

"I was just playing, but playtime's over if your pregnant." Yakko insisted. "I'll never tell him, it's ancient history." He sighed. "Too bad though, I would have loved to have had some more fun with you. C'est la vie."

"Thank you." Aroma nodded. "I'm going to call up Preston. When I go home. At some point. Soon."

Yakko shook his head. "Not exactly what he was dreaming of, good luck."

Aroma nodded politely. _Real responsibility stops the originals every time._ "Thank you." She started to walk away quickly from the tower.

"She said Preston snuck through the cracks?" Dot asked from behind the couch.

* * *

"Yeah." Yakko looked back at his sister. "She's good, that's a good excuse. _If_ we were gullible." Heh. He was keeping the real ace hidden. He'd already checked out that apartment. She was some kind of researcher over behavior, there were even documents over them. No, no, no. The more she tried to play, the more she'd struggle in the end now.

"Really?" Dot didn't look as unconvinced as him. "This is history in the making!" Dot laughed. "A warner born of two _warners_. It'd be official, we'd become a race."

"Ooh." Even Wakko got excited, bopping up and down. "No more are they a dog, or a cat, or a squirrel comments. We'd really be a species."

"Yep, and that would change a lot." Dot touched her face with her gloves with glee. "No more separate lines. No more keeping everyone at the studio. Everyone would have rights, they wouldn't just be creations. It'd go back to being the way it used to be."

"Yeah, wonder what it would be like?" Yakko wondered. He assumed she was lying, but what if she hadn't been? Preston's old job was lasting longer, if she knew that too, then she'd know a lie wouldn't work out. "We don't even know a gestation period."

"The judge station what?" Wakko asked confused.

"The gestation period." Dot looked at Wakko. "When the baby should be born." She looked back at Yakko. "You're right, I wonder how big it will be? A warner born, how cool is that!" She jumped up and down. "Do you think she's gonna be bitter about this marriage trick for too long because I want to see it when it's born!"

"I don't really know." Yakko confessed. _If it's true. Is it true?_ "She didn't seem as steamed, but I think that's shock from the news. Tricking marriage probably isn't the best thing to forgive, but she owed me a date."

"Awww. I can't believe a baby warner is really coming," Wakko smiled. "It's gonna have cute little ears and a cute little tail."

"A cute little red nose!" Dot added, "because that nose will be so cute! Ooh. You need to stay on her good side, Yakko, I wanna see it."

"If a baby's involved, you can bet I won't tangle with her anymore," Yakko said. "It was fun while it lasted. Let's see, who should be the next cartoon we get to befriend?"

"What about the silly marriage though?" Wakko reminded them. "That's not going to make her happy."

"Eh." Dot looked toward Yakko. "You'll have to tell her the truth."

Eh. "Already? Why?"

"Because I want to see it when it's born. It's history in the making," Dot reminded him.

"History's always in the making," Yakko said bitterly. He wanted to keep that ace until he knew for sure. "Wake me up in 2040. I bet something exciting will happen then."

"If it's true, it . . . it's gotta be revealed." Dot rubbed her feet across the ground. "The more I see what's going on around us, the more I feel wrinkles coming."

Wakko lifted his hat slightly. "It wasn't our fault. It was just. We were curious."

"We were awesome enough not to age one year from the thirties through the mid fifties," Dot told them. "Now look at us. It creeped up slowly, but . . ."

Guilt was eating them away. It wasn't anything anyone wanted to say. At first, it didn't seem like such a big thing. They really had still been the same age they were the first day they were drawn when it happened. The more a cartoon enjoys life and happiness, the less they worried or had stress, then the younger they stayed.

As they got older, Yakko had felt a small weight. Wondering what happened to thirty thousand innocent cartoons being thrown out into space. In return, for being quiet, they got color and sound. Without it, they'd still be in black and white. Holding signs. Those cartoons, they weren't anywhere near a studio anymore.

"If we didn't have any weight, we'd still kind of . . . be innocent kids." Wakko looked toward Yakko. "Yeah." He fidgeted his fingers. "She's one of them too, right?"

Eeeh. Yakko tried not to grit his teeth. _Torn between morals and the need to be me. It's probably just a stupid excuse, stage one of trying to get rid of us. Oooh . . ._

"Plus, I still want to see it, it'd be so cute," Dot said again. "Yakko?"

"Fine. Fine, fine, fine," Yakko agreed. "I'll think about it. I'd have to choose morals over my own wants. That's responsibility. That's the opposite of us."

"Hey, at least we don't have grey hairs," Wakko smiled.

"Nowhere near that!" Dot warned him. "I'm no older than like a fifteen. Maybe sixteen." She still moved around oddly. "Maybe slightly into my-"

"Twenties, and if we don't fix this, into our thirties and _forties_ ," Wakko said. "Eh. I think I just got older having this conversation. We've always ignored this."

"Because there was no reason to talk about it. It'd just make us older, and there was nothing we could do. Who would have believed us anyway? But if there is a baby coming? It would all break," Dot insisted. She looked toward Yakko. "Big Brother?" She pulled out a newspaper. "Come on, Yakko. Every day it doesn't change. The studio breaks its own rules, it's goal is to get rid of them. They aren't . . . safe."

Yakko grabbed the newspaper from her. He didn't need to see it. Every day there were a couple of officially listed deaths. Cartoons rarely died unless they reached old age because they were strong and happy. The warners though, all their copies. Whether it was space or the machine, there was one gigantic flaw.

They weren't cartoony. They didn't bend out of shape, stretch, or flatten. They were made of ink, but they weren't flexible at all. All the ones that looked like them, that were sane enough not to go into asylums? They were far from happy, being forced to come to live on the studio from their original home. That meant not only were they not cartoony, they were even weaker.

Confidence and flexibility equaled a toon that could survive anything.

Low self esteem and no flexibility meant they were too fragile to use for any real projects. The studio had to feed and shelter 30,00 useless toons.

So, seeing as they made no money. The studio had a tendency to shove them into . . . stunt double roles.

They did it on purpose. Nobody could point blame on them, it was a job that cartoons did all the time.

Every ten years, the Warners probably gained maybe a year from worrying about all the copies in space, but when they were found, and started being systematically killed?

"They made a new plot about three blocks away. A cemetary reserved only for copy warners."

"I saw that," Yakko had to admit.

"They even called it The Warner Plot. I don't wanna be fifty in a couple of years!" Wakko said urging Yakko. "You got your date."

"Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine! I will." Yakko put his hands in his pockets. "Just give me a little bit of time to find out if it's the truth, okay?"

"Yeah." Dot could get behind that. "She's got to be one weird fetish girl to want anything to do with us in the first place. Far on the looney side. Plus, that research. On _us_."

"Yeah, the research. We owe her for that," Wakko had to agree.

"Okay then, what, Sibs? Leave her alone, revenge, what's the deal?"

Wakko and Dot looked at each other.

"Well then." Yakko bent at the waist. "It looks like it's time for the Wheel of Morality." The Wheel of Morality came sliding into the room from the left. Yakko spun it and said, "Wheel of Morality, turn, turn, turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn. And the moral is?" Yakko yanked off the moral, and then glanced toward Dot.

She primped her ears prettily. "What's it say, Big Brother? Tee hee."

Oh, she definitely messed with it. "Don't mess with the crazies."

"Well, she isn't officially crazy, whereas we've all been committed," Dot pointed out. "That means we get our ultimate revenge if she's lying, and _then_ we'll leave her alone." She smiled. "The Wheel of Morality is never wrong, right?"

"Straight to ultimate revenge? Do we ever do that?" Wakko asked Yakko.

Eh. "Her cognitive skill is efficient," Yakko said.

"What?" Wakko asked.

"She's smart enough to handle it." Still? One big blow and over. Not usually their style. They usually poked and prodded building up to it.

"Her planet," Dot said. "Use her planet. Revenge and helping can be two in one. Then, we don't have to even hang around to figure out how to help. She'll figure it out. Any regular thinking warner would."


	5. The Setup

**The Next Day . . .**

Preston fixed his tie and groaned as he passed the Warner Brothers Tower. Well, at least this would be the fourth to the last time he would be interrupted by those originals. He had managed to hand onto his work still, but it would be coming to an end soon.

"Preston!" Yakko shouted and jumped down from the tower. This time, along with Dot and Wakko.

"Can I see when it's born? Pretty pretty please?" Dot asked. "I've never seen one before."

Was she high? Who knew, they were all insane. "I have to go take care of some business," Preston answered.

"Yeah, yeah, that new job in NY because you weren't good enough for Plotz anymore. Heard about it." Yakko shook Preston's hand. "Good luck, Press, it won't be the same without you."

"I should think not." Preston took his hand back and wiped it on his suit. Who knew where his hands had been. "Please move, I do not have time for this."

"Oh yeah, you gotta get married I bet." Wakko smiled. "Wow, talk about a whole new change! New job and new family, all in a week."

"I suppose marriage will be different." Preston looked at his watch. He was getting late.

"Marriage and the new baby." Dot smiled. "So, can I come down and see it? I promise I won't corrupt it! Not as a baby anyhow."

"What?" Preston looked up from his watch. "Baby?"

"Oops." Dot covered her mouth. "I figured Aroma would have spilled that by now."

Yakko shook his head. "Great job, Dot, now you ruined the surprise."

"Baby? That's impossible." Preston took a step back.

"Sorry for ruining the surprise." Wakko said sadly as he took off his cap and squeezed it in his hands. "Just act surprised when she tells you."

"Baby?" Preston looked at all the original warners. "That's nonsense."

"Nah, not really, only guys are fixed," Dot said. "You slipped through the cracks though, so congrats! You're gonna be a daddy."

"The first daddoo of a warner. Isn't that cool?" Wakko grinned.

"Cool?" Preston just gawked at him. "Are you kidding? This is horrible!" He grabbed his head. "This will impede upon all my future plans." Preston quickly walked away.

"There," Yakko insisted. "Now we'll know the truth."

"If it's real, he's going to . . ." Wakko searched for a less adult word for what he wanted to say. "Build a house with the food that he eats."

"He'll shit bricks," Dot said unabashedly. "If it's fake, she'll have to tell him the truth. Either way, things are going to get interesting."

"Yep, and then she'll need someone to help her pull those pieces back together," Yakko insisted. He noticed their looks. "What? Doing my part to make a warner feel happy."

"I wonder if there are other warners out there that want me to make them feel happy?" Wakko wondered. He noticed Dot. "Yakko's right, we should be helping them feel better." He traced an outline of a female warner. "Especially girls. They are extra sensitive."

Dot rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get back. We'll set off some fireworks before the real fireworks start."

* * *

**Preston Carrington's Home**

"It's not true." Aroma informed him as she came over to his place. "I lied to Yakko Warner to get him off my back temporarily until I can come up with a better plan."

"Are you positive?" Preston asked. "You have been feeling under the weather for some time."

"It's called a cold," Aroma said. _As well as having a personality._

"Truth." Preston insisted. "Yakko Warner is not one to aggravate those so much if they have not wronged him. Not on an average day. Not without continual contact."

"Ooh. I didn't know you read the research." Aroma admitted.

"What research? I've known those psychos ever since I've worked for Plotz." Preston stared at her. "What exactly is your specific interest in psychology?"

Aroma sighed. Well, better get it over with. If he didn't agree, then she could find someone else . . .

After a Brief Explanation

"You what?" Preston just looked disgusted at Aroma. "You made out with Yakko Warner for research?"

"Yes." Aroma confessed that part. There was no need to expand on anything. "It was before we met."

"Yakko Warner?" Preston rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing we are moving soon."

We? Aroma smiled. Okay, she wasn't out of the contract. "I promise we will get married soon."

"Soon is not nearly fast enough when dealing with Warners," Preston disagreed. "We will go to Las Vegas tonight."

**The next day...**

_Off to another city._ Aroma groaned as she sat in her tub. "If only leaving was back home, not to another city."

"I don't think that's your biggest concern."

Aroma gasped as she turned around and saw Yakko smiling back at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Handing you a towel?" Yakko held a towel in his right hand. "Or joining you? I like the second option the best."

Aroma did not look too comfortable. "Yakko Warner the Warner, what are you doing here?"

"Yakko Warner is fine. Yakko's actually even better." Yakko informed him. "And don't you know? I thought you knew everything about me." He wiggled her purse. "You keep research on me close to your heart."

_Oh no._

Yakko twirled her purse. "Upon further investigation, your whole house is nothing but psychology books and books written on us." He tossed her purse away. "If you wanted to know about me, you could have just asked." He laughed. "Of course, your methodology was much more fun. Want any more information? I'd love to go through the research process again."

"That wasn't supposed to happen." Aroma tried to grab the towel from him, but he held it up higher and higher "I just planned on making out. I don't sleep with subjects. It just . . ."

"Happened? You mean, you just liked me?" Yakko tossed her the towel. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not like 'like', I just got swept in the moment," Aroma said. "Leave and we can continue this discussion."

Yakko rolled his eyes and left the bathroom.

When Aroma came out a few minutes later properly dressed, he was still there. "When did you figure it out?"

"Oh shortly after finding your real place after Las Vegas. The insane moment was cute, but it had no chance of working. Too thin," Yakko admitted. "Although the pregnancy card could have backfired on you, it's completely illegal for warners to have kids. You would have been in a _lot_ of trouble."

"You don't say? Fine, take the research if you want to."

"I don't want the research." Yakko grinned. "You're more fun."

"I'm taken. I wasn't taken then," Aroma reminded him. "I have married Preston Carrington and we'll be moving soon."

"You two don't go well together." Yakko groaned. Just had to go and get married when Dot and Wakko wanted him to tag along for night fun. Oh well, he'd just save the fact they were still married a surprise later. "I think you should just stick around here. We'll keep each other company."

"That's quite alright." Aroma insisted. "Are you ready to leave yet?"

"No. Why are you that interested in me? You're just a warner. A lot of this psychology stuff should be way over your head," Yakko said. "What are you, a mistake?"

"A mistake? No. There are a ton of brilliant warners out there, but your studio ignorantly picked up the ones who were in Playground Paradise. I only got caught because I was doing research." Aroma admitted. "But who cares, right? A warner is a warner is a warner. Really, what do you want? You have already solved your obsessive compulsion detail, what is it you are sticking around for?"

"Obsessive compulsion detail? Boy, Scratchy would just love you," Yakko laughed. "My P-sychiatrist. Of course, you already know that, you've been watching over him too."

"Angered you in a different sense?" Aroma groaned. "Okay, what do you plan on doing? Slowly driving me crazy with insane highjinks or using my own weapon against me? I would suggest the former, you will have a less higher success rate if you plan on using psychology or research upon me."

"You know, you're a piece of work." Yakko scoffed. "I'm _trying_ to be nice. I don't-I don't even know how to take you. You're not the same as others, I can tell. You're hiding stuff."

"I would say something to the form of 'take me as you want' but you would use _that_ for your own gain. Most likely a quick groping or perhaps an uninnocent comment," Aroma said.

Yakko grabbed his head. "Okay, okay. I get it. Just stop talking like that." He groaned. "The correlation between my current growing headache and your use of research language is very high. In layman's terms, knock it off!" He waved his finger at her. "Don't try and drive me crazy. It never works the other way around."

"I do not drive other warners crazy. I am not about vengeance; I am about research." Aroma said casually. "I dare never to _actually_ take on a Playground Paradise warner or an original."

"A Playground Paradise?" Yakko was interested in that. "What is that?"

"Most of the warners here lived in Playground Paradise. A playground built on the other side of Chez Casa that was more than 1,000 times bigger than your planet's Disneyworld," Aroma stated.

"Really?!" Yakko laughed, trying not to grab his sides. "Chez Casa, that's your home name?"

"Yes. It is," Aroma said, trying to remain serious. Always hard when someone knew the name of her home.

"The home of home." Yakko winked. "I want to visit Chez Casa."

"Don't we all." Aroma sighed. "Is there anything else you need? Do you want to go tell Preston about what I've done?"

"No, not really." Yakko just stared at Aroma. "You sure this isn't vengeance?" He asked again. "You aren't just a _teensy_ bit mad that we didn't say anything when the studio blasted you off to another planet? I mean, no one would have believed us anyway. We're crazy."

"I know." Aroma groaned. "No, actually, if I hadn't been set up into space with the others, then I would have had to stay in this forsaken planet doing who knows what kind of stunts. No thanks. It's just that, when an individual makes a decision to do something, they should not suddenly change their minds and bring you back against your will."

"Let me guess." Yakko chuckled. "You miss home?"

_Well, it doesn't exactly try to kill me or my friends._ "I hate this planet," Aroma yelled. "None of my works apply here, I can't have any kind of credible job without an incredibly ridiculous marriage, and there is no difference to anyone between me and another 'copy' down the street chewing on a fire hydrant!"

"Really?" Yakko went over and looked out the bathroom window. "They have most of the crazies locked up, he must have busted out." He went back over to her.

What? He was staring at her. Examining her. What was he looking for?

"You got put in stunt work, didn't you?"

Wha-? Aroma couldn't help the involuntary step backward. _How did he know?_ She didn't want to talk about that with him at all. That was a serious subject, nothing for him.

"Yeah." Yakko still didn't move much, just watching her like she had often done to him. He was studying her every movement. He used to just look her up and down in the interesting sections of a woman. Now, he was staring at her eyes, at her ears, at her face, her hands, and her feet. "Your starting to make a little sense, Therapy."

Her last name, he called her by her last name?

"What do you want?"

Aroma rolled her eyes. Like he didn't know? "I just want off this planet. Maybe if I contribute something to this world they'll-"

"No way," Yakko interrupted her. "Wrong line of thinking." He wagged his finger at her. "You aren't the kind it's wanting to get rid of. Old 'Yummy Fire Hydrant' Warner outside your window is who they've been blasting back."

"Wait, what?" Aroma's jaw dropped. "You used past tense?"

"Yeah. They've gone on one trip. They'll go back two more times. The studio just doesn't want to make a huge giant check trip," Yakko explained.

"How do you know?" Aroma looked over at him closely. He portrayed no sign that he was lying.

Yakko rolled back on his feet and looked at his watch. "They started last month and there are two more shuttles leaving before it's all over and done with. They wanted to stay low key, they're just taking the warners out of the asylums mostly. I could tell you where exactly the ship is though." Yakko smiled. He twisted her purse again. "For a price?"

"No way." Aroma crossed her arms. "I'm married to Preston now."

* * *

Yakko groaned. _That's what she thinks._ Damn. Ah, ah, ah. He had her pegged wrong. Well, she was an attractive girl, he wasn't exactly studying the right features at first. Her strange attitude, dialect, and above all her actions. She took everything way too serious, she wouldn't even step away from professional jargon. _The only thing that broke through that exterior._

He remembered that day he first asked for that date. That smile was real, that laugh was real, and she couldn't hide the fact he was fun. That was the real person hiding in the façade in front of him. _She'd been through more than a little stunt work, she must have suffered through it. She might have even almost died._

On the side of her heel toe, she had a small gash. On her neck, she had another line mark that couldn't be explained. Her eyes were fiery, angry yet not really. She was scared, hiding behind anything she could. She wasn't insane but she was definitely traumatized. In fact? Remembering what she had been, a personality duplicator all messed up, she had parts of Wakko in her. While she didn't eat bulbs, or get real silly, Wakko was a great actor.

And she? _It's an act, her whole attitude has been an act._ A great actress. She may not be able to perform as a cartoon, but she had great chops on her. He almost completely missed it. Considering she was acting without a camera on her?

Either she had a real big hurting from that stunt work and was doing everything she could to pull out of it, or she knew someone that suffered severely from it.

Which threw Yakko into a hard position. _Gotta get revenge. I agreed on this with Wakko and Dot. Afterwards, we'll take care of the real deal. Come on. A promise is a promise, Yakko Warner, but I really shouldn't be messing with her head. She's not as solid as I thought. I don't even know the real her, she's been acting this whole time._ Well, not perfectly. The only time he knew the real her, was the first day they met. Sort of. She was still acting, but when she loosened up . . .

Damn. _Fine, a hundred percent help afterwards to get her home, but I can't break my promise to my sibs._ "Alright. A hundred bucks."

She gave in, walked over to get her purse and gave him tens and twenties.

"I counted 99 here." Yakko wiggled the cash.

"Yakko." Aroma looked at him square on. "It's tens and twenties, that's impossible. There is enough money, I know that you know that you counted wrong."

"Doesn't matter." Yakko pocketed the money. "I forgot when it takes off, I'll get back to you."

"I knew you were telling the truth and trying to act like it was just a joke will not work on me. Now please, tell me." Aroma crossed her arms. "I'll dispose of all the research of yours even, tease people as much as you want, they'll never know which approach to take."

Yakko sighed. Even if people knew, it wouldn't really help them. They were too slow to process the uptake. Even Scratchy could take a decent guess, and they could still drive him nuts if they wanted. "The next one leaves in a few hours at the place you got blasted off the first time. Better not see any books."

"On this planet? Absolutely not, I am out of here," Aroma said firmly. "You should be nice and let my husband know when you see him. He was supposed to drop by already. Gloat if you must about your rewards, I don't care and I doubt he will care." She laughed. "He'll be too happy we're going home."

"You don't have to leave-" Yakko was cut off by the slam of the door "-right away." Darn. Well? Time for revenge was at hand.


	6. Pink Nose

**Inside the Shuttle**

"This is great! Are you sure it's even bigger than Disneyland?"

Aroma turned around and quickly turned back.

"Hi, Honey." Yakko joked from behind. "Decided to go ahead and check this place out too. Once I told my sibs what you said, they were all too happy to take the trip."

"And you!" Dot pointed at Aroma. "You lied about being pregnant. That's not nice, we all had our hopes up we could see a baby warner."

"So?" Wakko grinned at Aroma. "Do others act like me? Do we have anything in common?"

Aroma watched the way he continually bounced in excitement as he listened. The original source of it all. "That bouncing in anticipation was passed on as well as several other traits. You are also highly intelligent and I encourage you to use your intellect more."

"Really?" Wakko asked. "How do you know that?" He was smart, but he just didn't talk up a storm about everything like Yakko did.

"According to the documents for the machine which created us, each of 30,000 had a different qualifier of interest and/or mental capacity. The fact that brilliant scientists came from your scan is reason enough to understand that fact."

" . . . okay." Wakko stopped talking and looked at Yakko, his body language signifying annoyance.

"She takes some getting used to," Yakko simply said to him.

Aroma caught the hint. "If you refrain from trying to drive me mad, I will take you to Chez Casa's Mallet and Anvils Museum."

"Mallet and anvils? Okay!" Wakko agreed.

"Mallets and anvils?" Dot just looked at Aroma. "You're telling me that your planet has a museum dedicated to mallets and anvils?"

"Why not?" Aroma asked. "Without mallets and anvils, how could our great civilization ever come to be? Everyone must have some form of respect for these amazing yet primitive inventions. Even I have a small collection."

"You mean had," Yakko corrected her. "I'm sure after being gone for a year your stuff is probably just a memory."

"I doubt it," Aroma said. "I do not pay that thing called rent. We use money for other goods and services and we all have a specific set of skills that we use to contribute to society. My home is always my home."

"Okay. Shut up," Dot warned her. "You're getting pesky."

"Sorry." Aroma looked out a nearby window. "I'm just eager to get back home." She smiled. Finally, back home. She watched outside of the window for more warners to come. She continued to stare for some time, but no one showed up, not even Preston.

Preston. He'd have broken anything to go back home. His real estate was his world. The world he missed so bad. He'd do anything to be there.

* * *

"That place sounded interesting," Dot whispered at Yakko. "Too bad we can't really go."

Yakko shrugged his shoulders and watched Aroma by the window. Knew everything about them, did she? Well, everyone had their faults and when he discovered hers, he couldn't stop his sibs. They all needed revenge somehow, she didn't just stand them up. She was studying them, and probably going to write a book on how best to deal with them. That wasn't right, they weren't objects of study. "See anyone else yet?"

Wakko tried to hide a snicker, but Aroma heard it.

* * *

Aroma stopped smiling but did not turn around. _He would have done anything to get back home._ She had been so happy and so hopeful, so sure of herself from how Yakko acted, that she didn't even realize. _Yakko is also a great actor._

She had been conned. Reputation destroyed, marriage would definitely be ended, and she had a deep sadness within her heart. So, they did it. Altogether, they took her on. _Logically when a person gets duped, extremely hard, they blow up at the warners and yell. I've come close to that, and many times before that on Chez Casa._ She smiled at the window. _I won't though. I'm Aroma Therapy the Warner. Obviously, if they have this ship up here they are doing something, I must watch it more carefully. I will get home, just not today. I will not give up. I will admit defeat, but I will never give them what they want._

A reaction. They thrived on reactions. Even if they won, they'll never feel like they won, if they didn't get their reaction. "Hm. No one seems to be coming." She chuckled. "Why, Yakko Warner, did you trick me?"

* * *

Yakko looked at her oddly. Why did she chuckle? He looked at Wakko and Dot and they just shrugged.

"Nice try. My own home world too, extra hurtful." Aroma sighed dramatically. "Oh well. Anyhow, I better get back home. I'll have to find another warner just as good as Preston and it's not gonna be easy. So long, Originals."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dot protested with a yell as she got in front of her. "Aren't you even upset?!"

Aroma shrugged. "I'll get back home one day." She walked off calmly.

"I don't get it! She studied us and _everything_ , and we-we can't shake her up!" Dot started to cry. "How can we lose?"

"Yeah. This didn't turn out right," Wakko agreed. "Yakko, your plan didn't work."

"It did too," Yakko disagreed as he watched her leave as well. "She was here, and she admitted she fell for the con." Egh. "Just calmly."

"I feel dissatisfied." Wakko moaned. "She's doing something with that research in studying us, she deserves to feel something for it. What's she doing? What are you- what's?" He grumped and tugged his hat down, crossing his arms. "What's she doing?"

"This blows," Dot said as she also crossed her arms.

"Look, we got her back, what else do you want?" Yakko said to the two. "She isn't going to be shaken that easily. Her field is us for some reason."

"She's gotta at least grab her ears and yell," Dot complained back. "This was ultimate revenge! One shot! What's left?"

Yakko didn't want to play anymore. This was bad enough. "Nothing. We got the revenge. It's over."

"It isn't," Dot insisted, "and we still have your marriage. You didn't spill it, did you?"

"Of course Yakko wouldn't spill," Wakko said coming to his defense. "It's his last ace in the hole. Right, Yakko?"

_I don't want to play anymore._ "We got revenge, dictated and we'll get it notarized if you want."

Neither Dot or Wakko was happy about that.

"What is she doing with the research on us?" Wakko asked again. "Nobody should be studying us but Scratchy."

"She needs to pay, and that wasn't paying. That was a chuckle like it was a joke." Dot's eyes weren't taking no for an answer.

_I can't believe I fell for it._ Aroma groaned. All that time and all that patience just waiting. Oh how she just wanted to fly off the handle but then the originals would get the satisfaction they wanted. No, that would have only made her feel even worse.

"Oh don't tell me I am early."

Aroma's ears perked up as she heard a familiar sound. A sound she had not heard for a long time. "H-hopper?" She turned around and saw a warner she hadn't seen in a long time. Not since Chez Casa. "Hopper!"

"Aroma?" Hopper watched as Aroma came over and gave him a great big hug. "Nice welcome."

"Hopper. What are you doing here?" Aroma wasted no time.

"I took the last shuttle and figured I would check out my roots," Hopper said. "It was an interesting experience, but I will be heading back home soon. Warners are not very welcome here, but it was educational." He sighed. "You seem very happy considering how we parted."

"Hopper, you're one of the few sane warners I've met in a long time." Aroma smiled. "I don't care about anything else." _Finally!_ Home. "When is the next ride back?"

"A couple days. There is about one every couple of months. You see, after our so-called creators came and hijacked 30,000 of us, we decided to sit down and have more of an equal discussion with them. We've actually found one of their shuttles quite useful and have developed a form of gas that is much better than this planets. They were intrigued. With their shuttle though, who knows what else we shall find out there? By all means, I am rambling though." Hopper felt her forehead. "So much so, I hadn't noticed your weary appearance. Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just under the weather," Aroma said. "A little more than usual." _Thanks to that sick joke._

"Aroma. Your nose is pink." Hopper felt her head again. "Why is your nose pink?"

"I must be sick again." Aroma rubbed her head. "I think I'm getting a fever. I feel dizzy . . ."

Hopper watched as Aroma hit the ground. " . . . interesting."

**Three days later...**

"Congratulations, I suppose."

Aroma opened her eyes and saw a doctor. "What?"

Her doctor wrote on a notepad. "Fainting next to a street. A simple test was all it took." He groaned as he said the statement. It was _not_ what the world needed. "Your pregnant."

" . . . excuse me?"

"You are pregnant. Rule number one, wear protection with everyone, including fixed cartoons. You never know when an error can occur." Her doctor shook his head. "The father had been called down, it was his right to know too. However, he also mentioned something that made me stop."

Stop?

"There is no way I am touching you if Yakko Warner is the father. Preston Carrington said you made out with him. Is that all you did?" The doctor was meeting her, eye to eye.

Aroma glanced around. "Months ago."

"Every species is different on their first displays. Without a taste, I suppose you aren't sensitive enough to notice within a decent amount of time."

"How'd I get here?"

"You fainted and were brought in. If anyone asks, you received an abortion. Meanwhile, _you_ figure out something else," he demanded. "I have seen what Warners do for a stolen booth at a restaurant. I do not need to know what they'd do if . . . just go to a different city if you need to."

Aroma glanced around again, bit her lip, and looked back at the doctor again. "I was brought in unconsciously, tested and . . . I'm pregnant?"

"Which is illegal, so figure out your own next step," he insisted. "In the meantime, your 'husband' is waiting outside." He had made quotation marks though.

"Why did you do that with Preston?" She raised her eyebrow, already guessing. Yakko Warner wasn't done with her yet.

She got up and started to walk away. As she did, she got the sensation she was on a treadmill. She kept trying to move faster, but felt like she got nowhere. _Strange motion feeling._ She swayed her body left to right, and found herself almost falling down. _Limited motion control._

Her next step was obvious.

Aroma stared out the window, lost in thought as she sat somewhere she never expected to be. In Otto Von Scratchansniff's office _. Preston. Yakko. A baby. Everything happened so fast._ This was a nasty situation, and she would have to consult with the largest expert around for them.

**_"You'll be fine."_ **

Aroma looked around herself. She heard her old friend's voice. Someone who wasn't there on Earth. "I'll be fine?"

**_"You'll be fine."_ **

"No, I won't." She knew these signs. It was even confirmed as other people looked at her. Well, one person.

* * *

"Aroma Therapy?" Scratchansniff snapped his fingers at her. She seemed to be talking to a voice that wasn't there. When she made an emergency appointment, he had already been iffy about the moment. He often didn't work with copies, only the original Warner Brothers and their Sister Dot.

However, she sounded within reason on the phone. Even when she first came into his office and sat down, she introduced herself just fine. Then, she seemed to start to turn into not fine.

"I'm not talking to anyone," Aroma said toward him, looking toward him. "I know no one is there. It's psychological." Still, she looked around oddly. "I made a biiiig boo-boo with the warners. I mean. I. Mess, I made a mess. My diction is going to increasingly insufficient stuff."

Scratchansniff scratched his head. "Are you the one who made the appointment with me, ja? You said it was important."

"Most important. I am in bad place." Her hands tightened on the chair she sat in. "I am Aroma Therapy, like the pretty scented candles of yore. Your. You're? You are? Scratchansniff. Otto Von. Auto Bon. Good car. Mister Good Car, I need to talk to you."

"It's Doctor Scratchansniff."

"I'm going craaaaazy," she whined. "That's not good, it's the, if you, the research." She pointed out the window. "My research." She pounded her chest. "My research, get it. Get. You'll."

Interesting. While she certainly wasn't all there, it was like she was trying to tell him something. Like she was sinking away in a . . . in a way he had not seen before. "What are you trying to convey?"

She grasped her head. "I'm brain studier. Can't remember the words." She looked like she was about to cry. No. No, she was crying. "I'm Aroma Th-?" She hit herself on the back of the head. "Therapy!"

"Just settle down," Scratchansniff said, trying to calm her. "The more worked up you get, the harder it will become."

"Warners aren't humans, the cartoons, they don't. It's not the same. You can't, 'cause we're different. The. Research." She held her finger up. "Original hosts host of the hostiest hosts. Him." She pushed her hands out toward him, while her eyes looked so scared. Lost. "Personality. Disrupt."

Mmm. "Do you perhaps know the Warner Brothers?" That must be some reason as to why she was there.

She patted her hands together like a slow, hard clap. "Ya-kko! Ya-kko! Ya-kko! Ya-kko!"

"Okay, okay." Scratchansniff picked up his phone. When he heard a familiar voice in the middle of 'Helloooo-' he interrupted. "Get down here. Now." He moved away from the phone.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot all arrived through his phone. A move he was always familiar with.

Now. What had these three caused to happen now?


	7. What Her Research Had Been

"Scratchy felt like seeing us today," Yakko announced as they arrived through the phone. "Hi Scratchy." It only took a slight glance to figure out why they were called though.

"You've got to be kidding." Dot's voice couldn't have gone any lower as she stalked toward Aroma. "What are you doing with our P-scychiatrist?!"

Aroma leaned forward slightly, but wavily. Something was clearly wrong with her. She tilted her head. "Mister Good Car. Yakko. Grocery. Bonus."

"Uh?" Wakko went over, a little more cautiously. "What was that?"

"She is topsy-turvy, and most likely your problem, ja?" Scratchansniff asked. "She was here for an appointment, but she hasn't been able to communicate wisely. In fact, when she came in, she seemed to be okay but then she seemed to just get worse."

Yakko spun around and dressed like a doctor along with Dot and Wakko. He took off his spectacles and examined Aroma Therapy. Was this some kind of joke? Sure they had fun with her, but it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. Her psyche should have been strong enough to take it. She even kept herself from yelling out when she figured out she was tricked.

She looked right back at him.

He waved his right hand.

She waved her right hand, but slowly and in an odder motion.

Her eyes. Her movement. Her limited speech. _What the hell?_ "Aroma?"

"That's my name. Candle," she said. "Candle."

Her mind was still trying to rearrange things into a logical sense, which didn't make logical sense.

"Oh. Guess we did get revenge." Dot eased up. "Oops."

"Strangely, I still don't feel satisfied," Wakko admitted. "I feel bad. She was right in the head, what happened?"

They've driven people bonkers before, but this time, they didn't mean to.

"Um? Guess we better admit her," Dot said.

"Admit her?" Yakko just whipped on her. "She can't be like this, she was normal. She was a normal warner! She was up here, here, here!" Yakko held his hand up as high as he could, "and we dragged her down here, here, and . . . here." He lowered his hand lower to the floor until it touched it.

"She was normal, and then she wasn't," Wakko said, like he was trying to piece it together too. He looked toward Scratchy. "You said she was better before she came, right? That means, she was well enough to make an appointment."

"No one makes an appointment because they know they're going," Dot said to Wakko. "We've never driven another warner crazy. In most cases, they just are."

"Okay. You go take your little friend away now," Scratchansniff said. "I have another appointment."

"Is that all a warner is to you, just something getting in the way of your appointments?!" Yakko let him have it, and he didn't even know why. It wasn't Scratchy's fault. It was his.

"I don't know how to help her," Scratchy admitted. "You are the ones that messed with her. Usually, your hijinks as high as this don't involve me."

"So it was a slow kind of crazy." Dot came back over toward Aroma, making her follow her finger around. "Her eyes are a little jilty. Like they want to dance but they're too shy to find a partner."

"She's not really acting funny either." Wakko tested her reflexes. There was no hit back with a huge mallet.

"Dictiony dictionary girl?" Dot asked sweetly as she approached. "What's the definition of research?"

Aroma just shook her head. Up, down and all around.

"Come on. It's your field," Dot reminded her. "Research. You were probably here for a reason with Scratchy. Was it because of your research?"

"Search," she said. "Search. Search and find!" She shouted. "Search and find re! Re, search and find re! I'm in re! I'm in re!"

"Oof." Wakko tried to look in her ear but they just started to twitch. "Yikes. Sorry about your wife, Yakko."

"Eh." Yakko slumped. "We can't leave her like this, Sibs."

"Wait, what?!"

Wakko looked back toward Scratchansniff. "Like this. We can't leave her like this. It's not nice, we didn't mean for this one to happen."

"No, no, no, Mister Wakko," Scratchansniff said wagging his finger. "The other thing."

Wakko whined. "I didn't do anything, Mister Yakko is the one who married her."

"Okay, can we get off of the Mister jokes?" Yakko corrected them. "What do we do with her?"

"That was a joke, yes?" Scratchansniff asked Yakko. "You didn't marry her, just und joke, ja?"

"No, he married. Lock, stock and barrel," Dot told on him. "It wasn't his fault, she never bothered to look up at the wedding."

"Las Vegas says hi. It was fun. What an all you can eat buffet! Until we got thrown out," Wakko said.

"Focus, Sibs, focus," Yakko said, trying to draw their attention back. "We got to get her help. This is probably sort of our fault." _At least mine. I knew I shouldn't have gone that far._ Twisting her mind about getting back home, psychologically, it must have been too much. She'd already been traumatized and he knew it. "We're getting her help."

"I know she's attractive and all, Big Brother," Dot said, "but she's went off the grid."

"She was on the grid, so we have to find a way to bring her back to that grid," Yakko protested.

"If you Warner Brothers and Sister don't take her out of here soon, I will have to call someone to take her," Scratchansniff warned.

Yakko couldn't help as his ears slightly drooped. _First blasting them off to space, and now were responsible for driving a traumatized copy nuts._ Damn. _No way, I can't leave it this way._ What should he say? "I'm going with her."

"What?" Dot and Wakko said together, their expressions lingering on him.

"I've got to help her get better. How am I ever going to get another girlfriend if people knew I drove my last one nuts?"

"You mean your wife," Dot reminded him.

"Yeah, that too," Yakko agreed. "You and Wakko go collect all of her research you can find. If she studied nothing but warners, maybe she's got something in there to help us." In the meantime, he'd try to hold what sanity she had left in check.

Cartoons were different, in all shapes and forms. If she could be brought back, the last thing she needed was charges against her for doing something illegal and crazy.

**Rodents, Dogs and Crazy Cats, back to the Beginning . . .**

Week one wasn't fun at all. Aroma's speech improved, but it became loud and angry. Her sentences were jumbled and never made sense. She had just finished complaining about orange juice while Yakko waited.

His sibs should be visiting today. Hopefully, they had some good news for him. In the meantime- "No, no." Yakko strolled back over to the angry yet now delighted warner who was taking her frustrations out on the cage itself. "You're going to hurt your teeth, let go!" Trying to keep her from harming herself wasn't always easy, especially when she was in such fits. "Come on, Aroma, let go." He yanked her away. Oh great, now she was flipping again, crying on him. "Don't cry. You'll get better. I know you, you'll be saying umm . . . your psychiatric research words in no time."

"Yakko." Her bottom lip trembled like she was scared. "Don't. You don't understand."

"Ah, some clear-headedness?" Great, she had moments of clarity here and there. Fewer and far between, so he'd enjoy it while he could. "Why were you at Scratchy's? Did you know something was wrong?" It was always the first thing that came out of his mouth, not wanting to waste time. He never knew how long she'd be able to speak with a clear mind again.

"I went for help. I knew I was going to be in trouble."

A whole two sentences, nice. "I'm guessing this kind of trouble?"

"No and yes. Yes and no," she ended up saying. "Wynken, Blynken and Nod was what we knew instinctively and recited when we all first came out to Chez Casa. The first time we weren't all squished up anymore." She wiped her eyes.

"That's great, but I really need you to focus here." She wouldn't be clear for long. "Yes or no, did you go to Scratchy's because you somehow knew something was happening? Did we do this?" He asked directly. "Did we take our revenge a little too far on you?"

"Yakko? What are you doing here?" Her mind just seemed to realize he was there talking to her again. "You? You're still married to me, aren't you?"

"Hey, look at that focus," he cheered. "Yep I am, oh but I will be getting out from that as soon as you get cognitive again."

"Co . . . cognitive?"

"Not important." No wasting time on definitions. Even when she was clear and her long sentences came back, a lot of her jargon escaped her. "Why'd you go to Scratchy's?" He couldn't count how many times he'd already done this. Caught her in a glimpse of clarity only to end in getting nothing before she was out of it again.

"You," she said. "You're the nicest warner I ever met, besides the cruel jokes. You're perfect." She smiled. "You're witty but you're not boring. You're playful but you use your charm intel . .. intel . . ."

"No, no, no, no," Yakko insisted. "Come on, don't go. Tell me more about how great I am," he joked. "No, come on. Scratchy, you, office."

"Yakko, grocery, bonus."

Eh. That line, it was the only thing she said when he tried to sum up getting her to talk about the office. She always came back with it, like it was hardwired in her brain. Yakko, grocery, bonus.

It had definitely been a bonus, but why did she keep saying it?

"Should we come back later?" Dot's voice lifted it's way toward him.

"No!" Yakko ran over to the side where Dot and Wakko were. They tried to get into the spirit of what they were doing by dressing like librarians. "Did you check all the research this time? Anything?"

Wakko brought out a huge pile of books and papers and sat them on the floor. "She has an increasingly ton of amount of research. In other words?" Wakko groaned. "Way too much to read!"

"We are doing what we can, but staying in there with her instead of researching this is probably easier," Dot said. "Can I stay with the whackadoodle wife for a bit?"

"It's been a week, and you don't have anything?" Yakko slumped against the cage.

"Yakko? I think you might just have to face facts," Dot said. "We accidentally drove your wife crazy, and she's not gonna come back."

"She doesn't . . . fit," Yakko said. "Really. She shows symptoms of this or that, and then she flips, or she'll be just fine and starts talking about her fears or when she first landed on Chez Casa or her favorite food, or how much she actually really likes me, and then it's all gone again."

"Hm." Dot was definitely annoyed. "We've done what we could? We even tried to get Scratchansniff to help. You should come home, Big Brother, and just let Aroma Therapy deal with her own therapy." She shook her head. "I'm happy she really liked you, but uh? Let it be your peace of mind?"

"There's more fish out in the sea," Wakko encouraged him. "That don't bite on cages and can hold cohesive thought."

"Hey. You know, it's not like I'm in here because I'm completely into her." Yakko glanced over toward her. She was stroking her ears, dazed. "We're responsible. We pushed it too far. We can't just say 'whoops'."

"We don't try and get involved with the others we drive crazy," Wakko pointed out.

"The others weren't copies that we already . . ." Yakko didn't want to finish. Wakko got the point. They already screwed over those copies the day they were born. This was overkill.

"Fine, fine," Dot rolled her eyes. "I knew you'd say that, Big Brother. Anyhow, Yakko, what we could dig up isn't much. At least we know from reading her diary what she does with this research."

"Yeah," Wakko agreed. "It wasn't bad. We don't have anything of hers from wherever she came from, but her diary gave away a lot."

"She was learning to help the weakest minded become stronger minded. She even had two specific subjects that started as weak minded and then became normal. She won some kind of award for it," Dot said. "She also won an award for helping someone learn to speak longer sentences."

"And another one for being the first warner to restore a troubled mind. From the way she phrased it, it seemed like trauma, kind of similar to what's happening to her," Wakko said.

"Her research was good, not bad," Dot confessed. "She tried to help others by understanding our behavior. Apparently, since everyone is a copy of Wakko, but never exactly Wakko, it means they are different up in the head more than anything else. The constant number of copies also weakened them. The better experts were the first creations with the weakest leaning toward the last combinations."

"You just shouldn't copy my wonderful personality 30,000 different ways and counting," Wakko agreed. "It's a good thing that device was stopped though."

"Well. That's nice news." It made them feel better, but it didn't help Aroma at all. "Anything else?"

We gave the most promising stuff to Scratchy," Dot said.

"Yeah. One of them is, uh, if they experienced a huge trauma, then a warner that was deemed normal, could become something called a Paradise Playgrounder." He chuckled. "I guarantee they named themselves for the abbreviation. It's I think what they call the weak-minded too."

"Expert warners could come into normal warner or Playground warner," Dot continued. "If she was already hurt once, then maybe the hurting we put on her twice just broke through a shell we couldn't see."

"Dot. Vakko. I would like to talk to him." Scratchansniff had made himself known in the background. "Do you mind?"

Ooh, goody, it sounded like Scratchansniff might have something. "Lay it out, Doc, what did you find?"

"Preston Carrington on a phone call," Scratchansniff said.

Ugh. "Carrington? That guy couldn't do anything to traumatize her," Yakko said offhandedly. "He's a boring pile of mush." Plus, he already left. It took him only a couple of days to find out about Aroma being in there. He didn't even come to see her off in person, just sent a letter to warn her he would want a quiet divorce soon. No room in his life for loonies. "He's out of the picture. What's he got to do with anything?"

"Everything. Really. I would like for you to come out, so I could speak with you alone," Scratchy urged him.

"No can do. She'll break her teeth trying to gnaw at something she shouldn't." Copies weren't half as resilient. "Just tell me."

"Yakko. It's? It's very personal," Scratchansniff said again. "I will come back right before closing. Will she be sleeping soundly?"

_Boy, what did Ol' Scratchy find out? He's acting strange. Almost pitying me. I don't like it at all._ "Wakko or Dot. One of you watch her a few minutes when I get out."

* * *

Yakko came out and then took the Doc a couple blocks down. "It rocks to not be committed unwillingly, should try that more often. Easier to get out," he joked. "So, Scratchy, what is it?"

"A private room," Scratchy answered. "At a hotel."

Really, that deep. "I know I'm something special, but I don't see myself going that far."

"Yakko, for just a little while, quit the joking. We need to talk somewhere private. I don't even want it to be my office."

Yakko whined and kicked a rock. Whatever he learned, it wasn't going to be fun. "Fine, a cheapskate room." He found a cheap hotel area and got into the cheapest room. He closed the door. "Alright, Scratchy, what is it?"

"I believe I know what happened to her," Scratchy said. "What made her flip, and you deserve to know."

Deserve to know? "Why are you talking like somebody just died?" Did anyone he know die again? He was an older cartoon then the kid he was drawn to be, but he'd already known several cartoons that passed their funny stages and passed on. Especially the older ones with no sound or color. In fact. A lot of them. A whole lot of them. It was depressing to even think about. He laughed. "Okay, well, go ahead. Who is it?"

"Your own."

"Own what?" That didn't make any sense.

"It's? No, I am a professional. We haven't approach these matters as much, since none of you have had any girlfriends."

"since we haven't had many girlfriends," Yakko corrected him. "There's someone out there desperate enough if you look. Wakko found two in one night."

"I mean serious relationships. Even if you've grown older, not everything has grown up about you. Eh? This is off topic," he warned him. "Perhaps I did that on purpose. I'm not exactly beaming with excitement to tell you, but like I said before. You deserve to know."

"Know what already, Scratchy?" Yakko didn't exactly have faith Wakko or Dot was watching Aroma up to par. "I don't have all day."

"I believe her spin into this state is because she was forced to undergo something she didn't want to, or get a choice in," he said. "Preston Carrington revealed that she had fainted outside the area where she thought she would be going home. This would put her into the same time frame as after your bitter stunt on her."

That never helped. The timing fit just right. "Go on."

"She was sent to a hospital and he was called in. I'm afraid she was pregnant, but he never even touched her that far. Only you, Yakko Warner. Now. Everyone is different, and I suppose warners don't get early signs? Of course. There's never been one before." Scratchansniff watched Yakko. "She keeps repeating the phrase Yakko, grocery and bonus. She has been trying to tell _you_ something."

"Stop." Yakko got the hint.

Scratchansniff waited a minute before he continued.

Okay. This was a new one. _How the hell am I supposed to feel about this?_ He would have been a dad? That sounded strange, but now he wouldn't be. Those copies couldn't have kids. The moment it was discovered, it'd be taken care of. So?

He looked at his fingers and counted the months from that date. Apparently, there weren't any signs of pregnancy. She hadn't got bigger at all. A couple more months and maybe. Maybe not.

"Now that we know what is wrong, we might have a chance to help," Scratchansniff said, hoping some good news would help. "The effect of her body being pregnant and then not, or the pregnancy having a psychological effect on her when it was terminated, it may have been the culprit. If so, she might need some specific cartoon hormones to help balance her out. She even wrote about it in her research, as well as what not to use. It was quite helfpul. However? Obviously we can't tell her doctors because it was illegal what happened. Even if it's over, she could be in trouble if she gets better, ja?"

"Ja. She could get better though?" Finally, something to grasp onto.

"Yes, but I also need to know. Was there anything else that could have contributed besides this? Was she a normal cartoon character beforehand? Any signs of anything askew?" Scratchansniff asked.

"Yeah." Did that change the chances? "She was in stunt work. I examined her, she's got tell-tale signs all over the place that she had close calls."

"Oh dear. Okay, I understand. There are layers to her Yakko. It might not be overnight."

"Well, if she needs some kind of hormones to balance out and RD Double C can't help, then she's just going to have to come home to the tower with us. I'll get to the inside of the onion."

"Yakko?" Scratchsniff took a deep breath. "I am very sorry."

"Eh. I? I don't really know how to process that one yet, Doc," Yakko warned him. "I gotta deal with what's in front of me. Now. Where can we steal these cartoon hormones we need?"

"I have a few places that might help." Scratchansniff handed him a piece of paper. "I wrote them down. I wish you well. Since she will be gone from RD Double C, I can try to have a session or two with her later."

"That'd be great." Not the most warnerific phrase he'd used. He wasn't feeling that warnerific. "Do you think I'm part of that onion, Doc?"

"You mean, could she have handled it all, and your insensitive prank sent her over the edge?" Scratchansniff shrugged. "The mind is a fickle thing, I don't know. It could have triggered the fainting."

"Which would have triggered the discovery that caused all this to happen."

"If she knew. Did she act like she knew to you?" Scratchansniff asked. "Did she try and get along with you better perhaps? I imagine she wouldn't be trying to drive you away."

"No, no. She was definitely trying to drive me away." Yakko tried to smile. "Doesn't everybody? I mean, it's not like she'd really like me or something."

"Oh." Scratchansniff sounded weird. "I see. That makes sense too."

What made sense?

"I'm going to go now. Any break ins to anywhere on that list, I know nozhing about, and I did not give you that list. If she does get better, you'll still have to watch her. It takes time for the effects to completely work, and you don't want her to reverse her progress," Scratchansniff said as he left out the door.

"Hey, uh? Perchance, Doc," Yakko said casually before he made it out. "Do you know the name of the doctor that did this while she was under?" He didn't meet Scratchy eye to eye.

"Not over the phone. I figured you should be able to, uh, persuade Preston Carrington more in that reveal than I," Scratchansniff said wisely.

Yeah. Yeah, Yakko could definitely do that. Later though. The sooner Aroma Therapy got help, the better her chances.


	8. Aroma's Dilemma

How many fingers was Yakko holding up? Was he teasing her? "I . . . I used to know."

"Hey, hey!" That seemed to delight him. "I know that sound. Someone is a little cognitive again." Yakko turned around in his chair, coming much closer. "How are you feeling?"

Aroma thought about the fingers he held up. "I can't think in ones." She looked at her hands and laid them all out. "Ten. Twenty. I cannot think in ones."

"But you can think!" Yakko threw confetti in the air. "You made it back, congrats."

Made it back? Aroma looked around. The colors were more muted. "I see differently." Colors. "Blue. Black. White. Grey."

"Okay, but you are still okay. So what if you lost a little bit? You are lucky Scratchy understood your notes," Yakko said again. "I am sure your big diction will return. So will your personality."

Aroma stared behind him. Dot and Wakko were fighting over a jar of cookies like . . . Like . . . "It's not as rude as idiot. Its more sciencey in its meaning. It's."

She watched Yakko snap his fingers like he was disappointed. "Stay here. In this conversation or you won't ever get better." He held up some notes. "From your own words too."

Her diary. That should have sparked rage inside of her, but it didn't. It was probably where they found a way to try and help. Her memory was weak. Her last thoughts were trying to remember her name. From there, she knew she was in a . . . A . . . "Trouble. Bad trouble place."

She looked back at Yakko. Upset again. Okay. Her big words that always made her feel safe. They had left her. "I am in the tower?"

Yakko smiled again. "Yep! I took personal care of you while you were incapacitated. Welcome back. Hopefully if you are back. Still saying some words here and there in incomplete sentences."

He spoke so much better than her now. Aroma would be pulling herself into . . . "If I were home. I would get. Help. From smart warners in . . . In . . ."

"Therapy," Yakko said easily. 

Therapy. "I forgot therapy. Its my last name." She forgot her own last name. 

"Yeah, well, Scratchy will have a sachon or two," Yakko said.

"Sachon?" What was a sachon?

\-----‐-----‐-

"Sachon? S-e-s-s-i-o-n?" Yakko shook his head. Not good. She didn't even recognize that word. "Wow, you really did lose it all. On the plus side, at least it improved your personality," he smiled. "One minute."

He rushed over to the other two, stood on top of the jar of cookies, and stole it. "Hey! Has no one noticed our guest is actually feeling better? You know, speaking straight again? Clear in the head? Quit fighting over the cookie!"

He stole the cookie. Really! He thought some of the guilt wearing off would make them feel better. It did for him. 

"Your wife is back. Yay. Congrats." She didn't sound enthused. "It was her own research, of course it worked. Does that mean she can buzz off now?"

"She isn't, uh?" How should he put it?

She didn't even recognize the word session," Wakko said. Guess he was paying attention. "Her big words are gone."

"Big diction dictionary lost her words?" Dot asked. "Well, that kind of thing happens when you chew on bars. Do you think she will get it back?"

"No idea," Yakko confessed. He was happy she was just better. "I better get her to Scratchy. He's the pro. Maybe he'll know." That and he could touch on the subject that drove her to that state better than he could. 

Yakko went over to get her, but she had gone asleep. The stuff she was taking tended to knock her out a lot. 

_________________

Scratchy's office

Aroma opened her eyes. She felt like she had fallen asleep in their meeting. "Sorry for dozing off."

Scratchy was watching her intently. "How do you feel now?"

Feel? She didn't remember telling him what was wrong yet. "How do you think I feel?"

"What I think isn't important. How do you feel?" He insisted. 

Hmm. "Confused."

"Tell me about this confusion."

"I feel like . . ." Strange. She felt? Not bamboozled, but like she should be on the other side, asking the questions. "Lost and confused. Scared. I want to go home."

"What makes you scared?" He asked her.

Aroma thought about it. She had dreamed of Yakko being there. No, not there. In the tower. He had been caring for her. "How insane is Yakko?"

The doctor seemes to lose his composure slightly. "Um? That is tricky to answer."

"But I need to know. I have important news to tell him." Was her dream right? Could Yakko be . . . "Coggy. Cog." No. The words. "Yakko is a staircase. I need to know how high he has climbed." That made no sense! "I mean. His brain is like a staircase." No. "Can he handle serious stuff?"

"Are you referencing the reason you were here before?" The doctor asked.

"Before?" Confusion. "This is the first time we have met."

"Oh. Oh, I see," he answered mysteriously. "No, it is not. The last time you were here, you were too kooky to understand. I called the warners for help."

Kooky? Oh. "That is why." That was why her mind didn't feel the same. "Did they find something left behind. I made."

"They found your notes which helped you," he answered. "Once we saw why you went kooky. It is okay, it would be normal to feel overwhelmed after such news."

News? He did know. "Does Yakko know?"

"Yes, but he does not know how to process it as well either," he revealed. "Abortion is not an easy concept."

Abortion? "Oh. That isn't what I came about. I was changing my mind insane because of body changes. There are . . . Words." How to explain? It was like she couldn't use her words, yet she still emotionally understood. "Many warners gave good guesses that brain would be different if a warner got pregnant."

"Oh. Yes, you could have had physical changes moving through that process."

He still didn't understand. "I am still moving through it. I did not have an abortion."

"You are still pregnant?!"

There. He understood. He had smacked his face with his hand. "That is illegal!"

Yes. "The doctor did not want to deal with Yakko. He let me go. I want to go home." 

The doctor was shaky now. "Oh no. If? I mean, it is illegal but if a Warner baby is born? Then. Then, you become a race. You have freedoms."

"I need to find a way home," she insisted. "Can I trust Yakko to help? To understand?"

"Well? Well." The doctor did not look as sure. "This is? I mean he has shown that . . . Then again, something like this? How do you feel about it?"

Telling him? He did help her find herself. This was different though. "I do not know." 

"If he handled it well, the warners could help protect you here. It would not be revealed until after it was born. Then, all of you would be free."

Freedom. If they helped and she stayed. "Which to choose."

"My suggestion would be to stick around him and be sure of your decision," he answered. 

Around him? "The warners hate me."

"At first, but they realized what you were actually doing with your research," he said. 

Hmm. Getting close again? Presto was gone. No, that wasn't his name. And? "I am still married to Yakko. That fact saved me." She was grateful. "I will cave and give him a date out of being grateful."

The doctor seemed to understand her intentions.

The closer she was to Yakko's good side. The easier the decision would be.

Which was good because there was a confident knock on the door. Aroma answered it, knowing who it would be. 

"Hey there!" Yakko greeted her. "Still functioning?"

"Um? Yes," she answered. "Thank you. For your help."

"Thanked, I am getting thanked?" Yakko asked. "Well then? You want to finally give me that date willingly?"

Aroma tried to think. "Your . . ." She did not know she was still married to him before the whole pregnancy reveal. "Presto is married to me?"

Yakko laughed. "Yeah, no need to worry about Presto. I am still married to you. So about that date?"

She nodded. 


End file.
